Support Ananda's Outdoor Academy Journey

My name is Ananda Brasunas and earlier this year I applied and was accepted to attend the Spring 2025 semester of The Outdoor Academy (OA)—an experiential-based semester-long boarding school in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Like perhaps a handful of other programs in the United States, OA focuses on an approach to education, unlike conventional methods, with a max size of 28 students per unique semester. The academy’s method for teaching ensures that a connection with nature and the outdoors is integrated into everyday life while attending. Core classes like math and history are taught in a way that still gets a student outside and away from fluorescent lights, technology, and dull teaching methods. Science class might be held on a dock in the middle of the lake taking samples directly from the natural surroundings, or art class in the middle of a field. On the weekends—and breaks—a backpacking trip to a waterfall or a canoe outing to a remote lake will be an enjoyable relief from classes.

My father attended OA in the Spring of 1997, which he has shared over the years was a life-changing experience, and since I have always loved the outdoors as well, I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this to further my education while being in a tight-knit community.

A program like this comes with a cost of course, and all funds raised will go towards the tuition to OA, which includes room and board, as well as all classes, activities, and excursions. A portion of this I will, and have already partially made myself, but the rest I’m asking for from my community. Any amount is wonderful and will be appreciated, large or small.

Please visit https://www.enf.org/outdoor-academy/ if you'd like to understand more about this amazing program.

Thank you!

Ananda