College of Charleston is home to many outdoorsy folks, but many find it hard to get their fix on camping and hiking in the busy city setting. The College of Charleston Outdoors Club found a solution to this dilemma. The club offers the chance for nature loving students to #OptOutside with many backpacking, hiking, and camping trips throughout the year. They also plan some day trips for kayaking, paddle boarding, and rock climbing. I sat down with Olivia Sackler, one of the Outdoors Club’s two female presidents to ask her about her experience in the club as both a member and a leader.
Olivia is a senior majoring in anthropology at the College and she and Holly Bishop are co-presidents of the outdoors club and both love nature and the outdoors. The club is a great way to meet new people and grow your love for the outdoors. New members are accepted at any point during the semester and all skill sets are welcome. The outdoors club meets every Friday in the Cistern at 4pm if you want to join!
Elizabeth Lewis: “When did you become the co-president of the CofC Outdoors Club?”
Olivia Sackler: “Fall of 2017 which was the first semester of my senior year. But, I’ve been on the board of the Outdoors Club since my freshman year.”
EL: “What made you want to join the outdoors club?”
OS: “I wanted to join because I was choosing between the University of Vermont and College of Charleston – I really wanted to go to school in Charleston and I’ve always been an outdoors enthusiast. I wanted to join the Outdoors Club because the outdoors are something that has always brought out the best in me and I’ve seen it bring the best out in other people as well. The club allows you to be able to step out of your comfort zone while also getting to come back and live a lively city life that Charleston provides. Being surrounded by people that are like-minded and want to get out into nature and help save the world and connect to it is so important these days.”
EL: “What made you want to take on a leadership role in the outdoors club?”
OS: “I wanted to take on a leadership role for similar reasons as to why I wanted to join the club. I had taken on a few other outdoors related leadership roles in the past and this club was something that I spent a lot of time doing and I fell in love with the people in it. I fell in love with its overall mission and as I got involved with other leadership roles throughout campus and during the summers, I wanted to provide that leadership for the club as well. I wanted to bring to people what other leaders brought to me.”
EL: “What is your biggest goal in relation to the outdoors club?”
OS: “My biggest goal is to be all inclusive and allow people from all walks of life to join and realize that it’s okay to step outside your comfort zone and go out and do new thing in the wilderness. On a personal level, my goal is to beef up my leadership skills and learn how to work with new people in tough situations. And how to delegate tasks and teach people important things that are relevant not only in the club, but also in real life. So, teaching and learning!”
EL: “What is your favorite trip you have been on as outdoors club president?”
OS: “As president, my favorite trip that I’ve been on is probably a trip I took with the club to Cedar Rock last semester. It was an intro to backpacking trip, but it ended up being really tough, which I feel are the best kinds of trips. Three of our current LIT’s, leaders in training, were on that trip and we really got to see them shine and step up and thrive in a setting that really does bring out the best in a lot of people. So, I got to see them shine, I got to revel in fall’s beauty and also, it was very tough physically. Also, we were there during a meteor shower, so we got to sleep on the top of a mountain and see a meteor shower and see the sunrise and sunset and it was all around a very beautiful trip with really beautiful people! The fact that it was tough just added to it because, the toughest trips always end up being the most memorable.”
Quotes edited for length and/or clarity.