Ailish Ullmann

Today's heralded Halloween hiker is none other than Ailish Ullmann. She has everything we could ever want in a #TripLeadTuesday except for knowledge of chakras - but don't blame her, she's from Florida.

MAJOR: Environmental Science and Health
HOMETOWN: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
AILISH IN 3 WORDS: The Energizer Bunny
PEAKS IN 3 WORDS: Peaks and Professors
FAVOURITE PART OF BEING A TRIP LEAD: Seeing new incredible parts of the U.S. with incredible new friends

ADVENTUROUS BUCKET LIST ITEM: Scuba dive with leopard seals in Antarctica
RECENT READING RECOMMENDATION: My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry (10/10 would recommend)
FAVOURITE CAMPING FOOD: Good S'mornings (TM), a food of my own invention. QUESTION: What do you do when, at the end of your camping trip, you have, like, SO much extra peanut butter and, like, SO much extra graham crackers and just found your backup package of Hershey's chocolate hiding in your trunk...? THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS. Just replace the marshmallow of s'mores with the greatest thing since Good S'mornings (aka peanut butter) and VIOLÀ. You have a delicious (and nutritious) breakfast s'more OR...more accurately...A GOOD S'MORNING.
FORESTS OR DESERTS: Forests. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love moss.
THEME SONG FOR YOUR LIFE: All These Things I've Done by The Killers
CLASS YOU WOULD TEACH AT USC: I think I would teach practical/applied environmental science (but I'd name it something cool like How to Save the Planet Like a Badass). I'd teach the science behind major issues like pollution, desertification, climate change, negative ecological feedback loops, species extinctions, etc., but more importantly, I'd teach people how to translate and communicate this science in ways people can understand and get amped about. I'd teach public speaking, basic nature photography/videography, and explainer journalism alongside formal scientific writing, data collection methods, and conservation strategies. Oh yeah, and I'd also do cool field trips like go on multi-day backpacking trips through the mountains and free-diving excursions to see whale migrations up close. Tbh I'd really thrive as a professor...
FUN FACT: When I was 7 I thought I was turning into a dolphin (like REALLY thought I was turning into a dolphin...I sat my mom down and told her she just had to let me go -- that I needed to be a free, wild dolphin); also when I was studying abroad in Australia last semester, a wallaby sneak-attacked me while I was hiking and stole my banana :(
MESSAGE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF: DEAR LORD DROP PRE-MED IT'S NOT WORTH IT YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE IT
3 ITEMS TO BRING TO A DESERTED ISLAND: My dog, my survival kit, and my favorite book
AVERAGE POST-HIKE NAP: 0 minutes. Naps are for the weak.

Want to see more of Ailish? Follow her on Instagram here.