Steph Zukowski, Intern Program Coordinator, on the San Juan.
Steph Zukowski’s BOEC story began when she applied for the BOEC summer 2020 internship. Unfortunately, the program that summer was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the only time in BOEC’s history that this has happened. Undeterred, she relocated from the midwest to Breckenridge, Colorado where she worked as a seamstress for Breckenridge and Keystone Ski Resorts fixing and altering uniforms for all resort employees. Despite her busy schedule, she found time to volunteer with BOEC’s Adaptive Ski and Snowboard Program whenever possible. Her first official experience at the BOEC was on an adaptive ski lesson in December of 2020 with Nick Melotte, a BOEC Ski Instructor and now BOEC’s Facilities and Capital Manager. Fast forward a few years and their desks are right next to each other at BOEC’s Wilderness Campus!
Hallie, Mike, Halle, Steph, Aaron, and Margie skiing with Team Semper Fi at Keystone.
Steph was originally interested in the BOEC as a means to fulfill her academic supervision hours as a Recreation Therapy student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The BOEC has become a much more significant part of her life since that initial interest and she has filled several roles within the BOEC since then. From her beginnings as a winter volunteer, Steph advanced with the BOEC becoming an intern in both summer and winter seasons, then a field staff/ski instructor, and now she is the coordinator of the Internship Program she once participated in.
As Intern Program Coordinator, Steph is grateful to regularly discuss the BOEC with prospective applicants. She frequently says to applicants,
“Be prepared for one of the most rewarding, challenging, and beautiful experiences of your life. If you are wanting to come here as an intern, be ready to walk out of this short time in your life with lifelong friends and countless stories. We come here for the work we do and leave with more rich memories than we could have ever imagined.”
The top qualities she looks for in an applicant for the internship are someone who has an openness to learn and a zest for life. Reflecting on her own experience as a BOEC intern, Steph shares that the most important thing she learned was to never hold on to expectations, things are always changing.
Steph, Kat, and Jeff (right to left) at Steph’s intern graduation where she won the Super Seamstress Award.
Her favorite part of running the Intern Program is interviewing and getting to know the interns and applicants. She loves having the privilege of hearing their stories, finding common ground, and sharing passions with so many people. The most rewarding part of her job is seeing lifelong friendships form between the interns and witnessing their growing passion for the work we do at the BOEC.
Steph cares so deeply about the BOEC and the Intern Program, in fact, that it can be hard not to think about work in her free time. Ensuring that she takes enough time for herself and turns off her “work brain” proves to be the most challenging part of her job. After a year in this role, she still finds this difficult, but believes she is finding a better balance.
Jillian Palacio, BOEC’s Training Manager, discusses Steph’s contribution to BOEC this way,
“Steph is such a valuable member of the team! She has brought and continues to bring spunk to the BOEC that adds a passion to our community. Through the interns she hires, trains, and mentors, she has reignited a fire to push the BOEC’s mission forward. So stoked to see how her impact furthers as she continues to crush the Intern Program Coordinator role!”
The top four words that Steph associates with BOEC are Passion Filled, Purposeful Play. She explains that BOEC provides access to spaces where people might not have initially seen themselves. Whether for students, interns, volunteers, or staff, BOEC offers opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in ways they might not have known were possible! One of her fondest memories is from a couple of summers ago working on Outdoor Adventures Within, a program for adults with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Steph shares,
“I had the opportunity to guide a boat with participants down a section of the Colorado River called the “Upper C”. After the whitewater section, one of the women on my boat wanted to try rowing the boat, which she was a little nervous to do. I was able to help her learn and try this new sport in a way she had not done before, it was very rewarding for her and I had a lot of fun teaching her.”
Steph rafting with the Outdoor Adventures Within participants.
In her free time, Steph loves to play outside whether doing whitewater sports, walking/skinning with her dog Toddy, or more recently, learning to mountain bike. Her wide range of interests also include playing in the ceramics studio and cooking. She can also still be found sewing, continuing to do alterations for friends and fix some of the equipment at the BOEC. Professionally, teaching and research are passions of Steph’s, and to further her career, she hopes to one day go back to school and teach/pursue research at the collegiate level in either Recreation Therapy, Recreation Management, Outdoor Recreation, or all of the above!
We are so grateful for Steph’s contagious energy and love for BOEC, as well as the guidance and mentorship she provides to the intern classes she oversees!
To learn more about the BOEC Intern Program visit www.boec.org/internships
