Youth, Communities, Nature
Leah Rossettie is the Assistant Program Director at UConn Recreation, responsible for overseeing all Outdoor programs, as well as an instructor for Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) wilderness medical school. She has worked in collegiate Outdoor Recreation for over 10 years, teaching students the basics of backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, mountaineering, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, wilderness medicine, and more.
She believes in the value of spending time in natural spaces, and outdoor recreation are indispensable tools in providing holistic wellness for people of all ages and backgrounds. She is dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities to bring people, especially those with minimal experience or exposure, into outdoor settings to provide opportunities to learn adventure skills and make connections. Reinforcing the importance of “Leave no Trace” ethics and preserving wilderness is something she believes is an essential part of teaching people how to engage in outdoor recreation. The most rewarding part of her job is in the moments of empowerment people have when they finally accomplish something they really struggled with or didn’t know they had the ability to do for themselves.
Her skill specialties include wilderness medical instruction, risk management, backcountry trip planning and logistics, beginner instruction, bicycle maintenance and repair, staff training & development, and instructional techniques. She is a SOLO Instructor, Red Cross CPR/First Aid Instructor, PADI Rescue Diver, LAB Cycling Instructor, PCIA Climbing Wall Instructor, ACA Swiftwater Rescuer, a 2013 Appalachian Trail “Thru-Hiker”, and a life-long student.
Leah holds a bachelor’s from the University of Connecticut degree in Kinesiology: Athletic Training, and a master’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Recreation & Sport Administration