Global Environmental Science:

Colleen Gavan--instructor

In 2005, I moved to San Diego just to work at High Tech High. I’d been living up in the central Sierra Nevada mountains, and although I loved being close to the forest and the rocks, I was searching for a teaching position in a non-traditional school that would allow me to express my creativity as a teacher.... And so I found it.

I spent most of my childhood in Rhode Island. From there I attended Boston College to earn a BA in psychology. But It wasn’t until the summer after graduation when I went on a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course and spent a month backpacking and climbing in Wyoming that I realized my path: to help others find their connection and curiosity for the natural world.

Since then I’ve earned a Masters degree in environmental science/education from Prescott College and lived, learned and worked in various locations (Texas, Arizona, Mexico, England/Schumacher College, Santa Barbara, Calaveras County…..). I’ve led backpacking trips for teens, started my own catering company, delivered phonebooks (that was probably the low point), worked on organic farms (Table Mountain Garden, Fairview Gardens), waited tables, practiced and taught yoga, taught at nature centers, science camps and schools and…. FINALLY, decided to grow up a bit and get a job with health insurance and a stable salary.

I live with my husband Jason and my dog, Odin (who’s been my companion throughout all of the moves and travels). My interests are varied and include yoga (which will be a main component of my next career), writing, travel, and outdoor sports of any kind (especially rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing).

My personal philosophy of education is aligned with the HTHI mission. I believe that education should be inquiry and project-based while rooted in rigorous content that is meaningful to students’ lives. I am an advocate of interdisciplinary education because the ‘real world’ is not divided into disciplines—rather it is a beautiful mess of complexity and interrelationships