Meet Our Staff

Bristol, RI

I am 21 years old and have been unschooled my entire life and spent most of my years playing outside, helping my family with our mini homestead, hanging out at the library, and writing. After “graduating” “high school,” I took a gap year, which turned into three (whoops!), and ended up with me volunteering, getting more serious with my writing, taking a couple classes at community college, working at a somewhat questionable pet store to fund my travels, and scrapping my original life plan for an entirely new one that I’m still trying to figure out.

This year I’ll be starting college for real and working towards my associate’s degree, we’ll see where I go after that. At camp, if I’m not working, you’ll probably find me in a corner with a cup of tea, gleefully watching the unfolding shenanigans

Camp History: Camper 2013 – 2016, Jr Staff 2018

Babette is a 20 year-old former camper originally from Detroit. They love contortion, hiking, astrology, solo travel, zines, spreadsheets, and the color green. They’ve been unschooled since they were 13 years old and moved out on their own at 17.

Babette works as the Communications & Development Associate at The Youth Organizing Institute. It’s a social justice organization that trains high school activists in movement history, political analysis, and organizing skills. In their free time, Babette teaches circus arts to other queer folks.

Babette lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Camper History: 2014-2016, Advisor 2018

Claire is a 19 year old unschooler and interest led learner from “the middle of nowhere” in the high desert of Nevada. Claire is passionate about helping other people. It’s what makes her heart sing and her day feel well spent. Being very empathic, she is sensitive to people’s distress and struggles and will do everything in her power to help them find their way back to balance and happiness.

Claire is always excited to share her passions, particularly her passions for horses, dance, and kids. For many years she has shared her love of horses with disabled toddlers, teens and young adults by volunteering with Ruby Mountain Riding for the Handicapped. She has taught ballet and tap, and danced just about every discipline of dance offered at her local studio. Claire is an energetic and joyful person who can be found outside, riding her horse, enjoying nature, and hanging out with friends whenever she has the time away from her job.

Claire was homeschooled until the age of 7 when she and her family went to the Rethinking Everything conference in Texas and found out about unschooling. They threw out their workbooks as soon as they got home, and never looked back. Claire has been attending camp since 2014 and culminated last year. A few years ago, she decided to take what she was learning at camp to start becoming a leader and role model for other young unschoolers at the Rethinking Everything (RE) conference. Having struggled through the years with getting to know the other RE attendees she understood the need for connection and brought her NBTSC skills to the rescue. The difference it made to the kids (and adults!) at RE was incredible!

At camp, Claire always strives to be welcoming to knew campers and inclusive to everyone. Her goal during her years as a camper at NBTSC was to make sure everyone felt seen and included; a lofty goal for such a short space of time, but one that meant a lot to her as well as the other campers.

NBTSC History–Camper 2014-2017, Junior Staffer 2018

San Jose, California

Hello! My name is Franz, I’m 21, I’m an entrepreneur, COO and front end web developer. I currently live in San Jose, California where I co-founded a company called XOTV (you can think of it like YouTube without the bad parts). XOTV became a reality about 2 years ago and before that I was unschooled for most of my life, during which I dove head first into the world of video game development. I created my first game when I was 14 and exhibited my third game at E3 when I was 16. Since then I have always had a special place in my heart for video games, especially independent ones.

I’ve also been traveling for my entire life (on my first trip, I was 3 months old) and absolutely love it. I also am extremely passionate about music and video production. On the side, I managed to teach myself just enough German to be dangerous. 🙂

When I’m not working on XOTV, making videos, creating music, programming, traveling or attempting to converse in German, I am usually rock climbing, hanging out with friends, going on adventures and playing all types of sports and games. I love listening to stories about adventures and trips people have gone on. I also am always extremely intrigued by other people’s passions. Basically, if you are interested in starting your own business, video production, video game development, programming, web development, design, travel, German or are just really passionate about something we should definitely talk! Please don’t be afraid to ask me questions about anything I just listed, I love talking about that stuff. 🙂 I also love to beat-box, so if you want to collaborate on a song while at camp, let me know!

I was a camper at NBTSC Oregon Session 2 in 2014 and 2015; Joshua Tree in 2015; Junior staffed in Vermont in 2017. I am very excited to be coming back to camp this year as senior staff and can’t wait to meet with everyone!

P.S. If you read this far, first of all, you are awesome. Second of all, let me know who you are at camp so we can make up a cool handshake.

My mission at NBTSC is to empower young self-directed learners! I am a 24 year old, lifelong unschooler from the midwest of the United States, Noblesville, Indiana to be exact. Going to NBTSC for the first time at the age of 15 was a profound experience. I had decided to go in order to meet other unschoolers, as there were not any in and around the Nobelsville area. The experience at NBTSC was sensational; I made many good friends that now, after almost 10 years, are still a part of my life and whom I love deeply. As a camper, the amazing social circle that inhabits NBTSC helped me to grow and mature in profound ways as I discovered how to enact my deep compassion for people through vulnerable conversations, explored the beautiful dreams and ideas of my own and those of others, expressed my desire to be creative in an extraverted fashion by singing for all to hear, had the pleasure of hosting workshops, and embraced how empowering our voices and ears can be within a community of only 100 people.

Since graduating from camp I’ve staffed numerous positions, such as logistics assistant, dish washer, assistant cook, music director, and advisor, and it has been so fulfilling. Staffing at camp is perhaps even more fulfilling for me than being a camper because of the opportunity to be of direct service to a community that has had such a profound impact upon my life and sense of community.

Aside from my time at camp there have been many formative experiences in my young life. Experiencing whats it’s like to be a community college student, working as a youth mentor/kitchen director for Unschool Adventures, care-taking for the elderly, teaching parkour & gymnastics, hosting at a local cafe, interning with an urban farming organization in Indianapolis, competing as a junior olympic level gymnast as a teenager, participating in a permaculture design certificate program, becoming a big brother at the age of 13, moving to a foreign country and many other wonderful adventures!

The temperament I was born with is attracted to a huge plethora of passions and interests including but not limited to, sustainable design philosophies, architecture, economics, quantum mechanics, philosophy, singing, guitar, parkour/freerunning, taoism, farming and many more! It’s amazing and often overwhelming…life is so completely full of things to learn and skills to master and explore!

Currently, I am focusing my energy as a student at the National Circus School in Montreal, Quebec where I specialize in acrobatic tight-wire walking and study things like acting, contemporary dance, ballet, partner acrobatics, handstands, and many other diverse ways of interacting with the human body and pushing its limits, both artistically and athletically.

Let’s discuss ideas, take on adventure, ask profound questions, challenge our bodies and minds, eat delicious food in the sun, recharge in nature and jump into the magical unknown! Can’t wait to see you at camp!

Lake Hughes, CA

Karen is a dancer, creative writer, and film photographer with lofty dreams of becoming a polyglot. She is a Jill-of-all-trades and has trouble picking just one thing she is interested in at a time. She has been Unschooled all her life in Southern California. She has traveled to New Zealand, South America, Southeast Asia, and is a big fan of backpacking. Karen has trained in classical ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance. In 2017, she studied Argentine Tango while in Buenos Aires during the Unschool Adventures Argentina Semester. Unschooling has opened up many opportunities and experiences to her and allowed her to explore her many passions. The NBTSC community has helped her discover the kind of person she wants to be and introduced her to lifelong friends.

Camp History: Camper 2016-2017, Junior Staff 2019.

Aarhus, Denmark

Liam grew up unschooled in northeastern USA. After first attending NBTSC in 2006, he dedicated his work life to creating spaces for unschooling / self-directed learning / playful learning to happen in communities where learners can support and learn from each other – much like at camp. This has taken shape in many different ways – from running a small school, to helping teachers use creative technologies in their classrooms, to designing activities and advocating to governments.

Talk to Liam about creating a space for learning to happen socially, about organizing tools for non-hierarchical groups, about tying credibility to playful learning, about playing and designing games, documenting projects, living in Scandinavia, and much, much more.

NBTSC History: Camper 2006-2011, Jr. Staff 2012, Sr. Staff 2013, 2016, and 2019.

Portland, OR

Milla spent their childhood bouncing back and forth between the U.S and small town Germany. They were introduced to the world of unschooling in 2016 when, as a junior in high school, they left to join an Unschool Adventures program to Nepal. Milla became fascinated with alternative education models and partner dance and spent time traveling across the country growing their skillset. Eventually, Milla found themselves working at the High Desert Center in Colorado, leading gap year programs centered around sustainability and community living while teaching dance to young people. Milla holds a deep love for games, chocolate, community and swimming in cold rivers. They recently moved to Portland, Oregon, to dive deeper into their dance education and works as a dance instructor and event organizer.

Camp history: Camper 2015/2016, Junior Staff 2019

This will be my first year at Not Back To School Camp, and I’m excited to learn what makes it special and be the best advisor I can be. Growing up, I went to public school in the SF Bay Area and noticed through school and other experiences that youth are not often given the opportunity to be in charge of their own lives. Margie Sanderson told me about NBTSC in the course of our work with the National Youth Rights Association and I’m glad to be a part of it. I’m now 27 and live in Oakland, CA, doing electronics work for a car company. Outside of work, I enjoy keeping physically active, studying music, camping, traveling abroad, and working for the National Youth Rights Association.

I’m Nimai (pronounced Nee-My). I am very much a wall flower, I enjoy being in the background much more than the spotlight. I went to school off and on until I got my GED in 2015. I very much enjoy gaming, and when I’m at camp, washing dishes.

I went to camp from 2012-2015 and this is my first year staffing. I’m excited to see how camp has progressed while I’ve been away.

Eugene, OR

Hi! My name is Penny, and this is my first summer at NBTSC. I live in Eugene OR, and have lived there since I left my parents’ house when I was 18 (I’m 31 now!). I consider Oregon home, and I am on a lifelong journey to learn about the plants, trees, birds and ecosystems here. A lot of my time in Oregon has been spent fighting and working to protect wild places around my home. I have a passion for forest defence, direct action, constructive (and non-constructive) mischief, and working for the causes I believe in.

I am also lucky enough to pay the bills working with youth in the world of social work and mental health. I have worked with street youth, done crisis response in high schools, and worked with super badass young people out in the desert in a wilderness therapy program. Happy to talk mental health and self care anytime!

Outside of work and activism, I love the garden, the guitar, jazz, the blues, singing and jamming, friendship and new experiences. I grew up schooled in public, and catholic schools. I struggled a lot in those environments when I was younger, and I’m really excited to learn more from y’all about what unschooling is all about!

Portland, Oregon // 19

Rachel will be joining staff for the first time this year as the logistics junior staffer for OR2, and a lifeguard/floater junior staff for OR1. She culminated last year after 6 years as a camper and can’t wait to take on this new role within her beloved community. In her life outside of camp she works as a preschool teacher in Portland, Oregon where she lives with her fiancée Trenton. She enjoys swimming in unlikely places, blues dancing, speaking passionately about the merits of self directed learning, and losing to Blake Boles in games of foosball.

Camp History, Camper  2012-1017,  Jr Staffer 2018

Sierra is 20 years old living in Bellingham Washington. She grew up unschooled, went to school for a few years, but then rediscovered the magic of alternative education after writing a research paper about unschooling for her honors class. After she convinced herself to drop out, she immediately signed up for NBTSC. She found so much inspiration her first year of camp it drove her to travel the world with Unschool Adventures and the High Desert Center. You can now find her nestled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, either exploring or planning her next circus performance!

Camp History: Camper 2015-2018, Junior Staff: 2019