Keri Willever
Without a doubt Warren Wilson College has got to be one of the most amazing places on Earth. I say this without hesitation, as I am a proud 1995 graduate who earned the very first degree in Outdoor Leadership.
Many years later I have found myself back on campus, doing a job I absolutely love Admissions. It's never a dull day in the office or on the road, and it's wonderful to meet prospectives from all over the country. My territory stretches from Pennsylvania, through the Mid-West, Dakotas, Rockies, Oregon and Washington.
After college I joined the Peace Corps and worked in Ghana, West Africa for almost two years. I lived alone in a village with no electricity or running water, working with the local people in a tree nursery. I learned the value of a semi-inflated soccer ball and the importance of friendship from the local children and their families. After the Peace Corps I found myself living and working at a private zoo in Santa Rosa, California called Safari West. I worked with giraffes and zebras, raised tiny foxes and lemurs, and was once chased by an angry ostrich. From California I went to Albania to work for a non-governmental organization called Action Against Hunger. I did logistics and worked directly with the Kosavars living in refugee camps. From there I spent time doing more logistics for Outward Bound and Girls on the Move, I worked in the Engineer and Security Department at the beautiful Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, and now have come full circle back to Warren Wilson College.
Some of my favorite memories of WWC include learning how to drive a back-hoe on the landscaping crew, the Chemistry lab and serious nod to Elvis & chickens, vaccinating newborn calves during Christmas break, getting snowed in on campus during the blizzard of '93, camping and rock climbing in Linville Gorge, all of the Outdoor Leadership classes, fighting forest fires, finding pride in the service projects I helped with, and the countless friends I made and continue to keep in touch with around the world.
It seems a popular choice to put favorites... so in no particular order here are just a few of mine....at the moment.
* Movie - Pursuit of Happyness
* Restaurant - La Paz and Wasabi (Asheville's finest Mexican and Sushi)
* Old Country Band - The Statler Brothers
* River - The Nile - loved the water buffalo
* Vacation Hot Spots - Australia and Puerto Rico
* Vacation Cold Spot - Wisconsin, my home state, go Packers
* Hiking Trip - Mt. LeConte in the Smokies, with my family
* Adrenaline Rush - Sky Diving, running marathons
* Funny/Inspirational Man - Richard Simmons (don't laugh!)
Things I'd like to do before I'm 80 (not to be confused with things I did back in the 80's - bad hair and terrible fashion choices for example)....
* Explore Iceland, Turkey, the mighty fjords of Norway and beyond....
* Learn to play the piano like Bruce Hornsby and the accordion so I can play polkas at international festivals
* Buy a small ranch with large horses
* Star on TV's Wheel of Fortune with my sister Katie
* Compete in traithlons
I sincerely look forward to meeting each and every one of you! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call me, or just ask my parents Bruce and Patricia - they left Wisconsin 11 years ago and now work at Warren Wilson College too.