At the end of the summer, Freya reflected on her experience and realized that she had gained valuable skills, knowledge, and experience that would benefit her in her future career. She also made lasting connections with her colleagues and friends at Green Earth, and was grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of their team.
"I started noticing who was clenching their harness straps too tight, who was looking at the ground instead of the horizon," she says. "I paired nervous people with the calmest guides. I changed the order of the group so the confident climbers went first to set a visual precedent."
"Normally, a supervisor does the high-risk checks," she explains. "But it was just me and two new hires. We had a booking of 30 people arriving in two hours." freya mayer - summer job
When asked if she’ll return next year, Freya laughs. "I might have a design internship lined up. But honestly? I’d rather be in the trees. I learned more about load-bearing stress from a frayed rope than I did in two semesters of statics. And I learned more about human nature from a scared accountant at 50 feet than I did in any psychology lecture."
"I’m not going to lie," Freya says, peeling off a pair of well-worn leather gloves. "The first two weeks were brutal. My hands were shredded. I was coming home smelling like pine resin and sunscreen, and my shoulders were screaming from hauling harnesses." At the end of the summer, Freya reflected
As the summer sun dips behind the firs and Freya clips off her harness for the last time this season, she reflects on the practical takeaways:
Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to hearing from you! #summerjob #jobsearch #newopportunities "I paired nervous people with the calmest guides
Freya didn’t spend her summer in a sleek downtown internship. Instead, she could be found at 6:45 every morning, keys jangling on a carabiner clip, unlocking the gates of West Coast Canopy Adventures —a high ropes and zip-lining course nestled in the old-growth forest of Lynn Headwaters.
For most university students, the summer job is a transactional affair: trade time for currency, endure the heat, and return to campus with a few extra dollars in your pocket. But for 21-year-old Freya Mayer, a junior majoring in Environmental Design at the University of British Columbia, this past summer became an accidental masterclass in leadership, logistics, and lateral thinking.
And sometimes, that bridge is made of rope, suspended 80 feet above a creek, swaying gently in the wind.