February 20th, 2017

To Whom It May Concern,

Last summer, I had the pleasure and privilege of working with

Vannaleze Barcelos as one of her instructors for a forty-day wilderness
literacy course with Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) in Yosemite
National Park. During this course, Vannaleze and her peers spent 20
days in the backcountry, honing in on team building, navigation, group
decision-making, and camping skills. The other 20 days were spent at
our basecamp in Wawona, where the students completed an intensive
English, environmental science, fitness, and leadership series.
Vannaleze chose to participate in this course because she wanted to
push her limits and step out of her comfort zone. Conflict and
challenges are inevitable when a group of 12 adolescents live together
in the wilderness for 40 days, and Vannaleze faced adversity with
diplomacy and grace. She stood out as a natural leader among her
peers, always voicing her opinion while creating space for others to
voice theirs. I saw her consistently demonstrate integrity with both her
actions and words, even when she thought none of the instructors
were watching. On the final expedition, the students led themselves on
a four-day backpacking expedition with no guidance from the
instructors. Due to high stress levels, the group divided, and some
students began to talk poorly of their peers behind their backs.
Vannaleze had the courage to stand up to her friends, voicing that the
issues should be discussed as a group during their evening meeting.
She gave and received feedback with maturity well beyond her years.
Furthermore, her perseverance never ceased to amaze me. Whether it
was hiking 9 miles at 7,000 feet of elevation with a heavy backpack,
climbing to the top of a 100-foot rock wall, or completing a 5-mile race,
Vannaleze pushed herself to her physical limits without complaint. She
has true grit.

Vannaleze decided to join the ARC mentoring program during the

school year to provide an additional layer of accountability for the
goals she has set for herself and to help her remember the core values
she internalized during her experience with ARC. As her mentor, we
have bi-monthly telephone calls to discuss her social, emotional, and
academic pursuits. I am constantly inspired by Vannalezes
commitment to academics, family, and her community. She manages
to juggle AP classes and running start courses at the community
college while actively participating in the Engineering Club for Latina
Women and Environmental Club on campus, in addition to pursuing a
side job as a novice photographer and meeting her health and fitness
goals. I am fully confident she will succeed in whatever she decides to
pursue. Her positive attitude, confidence, strong work ethic, and
charisma will take her far in life.

Please dont hesitate to contact me as a character reference for

Vannaleze. I am happy to answer any additional questions you may
have.
All my best,

Hillary Landers
Environmental Science Instructor
Adventure Risk Challenge
Phone: (509)-991-4853
Email: hlanders7@gmail.com