Page 23 - Priorities #67 2017 Spring

Wild About
Genevieve Chiu-Schaepe ’19 launched Wildher to inspire girls and women of all ages to explore the outdoors. What is Wildher? Read on to hear from Genevieve herself!
What is Wildher?
Wildher is for girls outdoors, brought to you by women from around the world. It’s a website and Instagram page that features the words and photos of passionate women to inspire ladies of all ages to discover and embrace their passions in the outdoors.
What inspired you to create Wildher?
The power of nature that I experience when I’m outdoors. I love being outside because I feel like the most accurate portrayal of myself, with fewer distractions and more of the headspace that leads to greater change. Being in touch with the outdoors has had such a positive impact on my life and I thought it would be so cool if more girls could experience it all for themselves.
From the idea conception to when the site went live, how long did the process take you?
The idea came to me out of the blue last Mother’s Day, so May of 2016. At first I really struggled because I didn’t know to articulate the idea and bring it to life. After a sum- mer of work on it, including a rough version of the site and name change, wildher.com and @_wildher_ on Instagram emerged in late August.
Tell me about some of your own adventures? What are some of your favorites?
Every summer since I was eight I’ve gone to Tikchik Nar- rows Lodge in southwest Alaska for a week of fly fishing in Alaska’s largest state park. Just getting to the lodge is an adventure. It takes three planes to get there, including a six
seater floatplane that can take off and land within seconds on a stretch of river. Every day you witness miles and miles of untouched wilderness as you fly out to a new plot of river to fish world class waters. It’s no wonder that it’s my favorite place on earth.
What are your hopes for the future of Wildher?
Like any creator, I want my creation to grow. My goal for the future of Wildher is to reach more people and broaden the variety of content that people can engage with. Right now this means organizing three to six featured posts a week on Instagram and putting together blog posts with featured writers. An idea I really want to throw into the mix is creating a cause-based online store on wildher.com to sell merchandise and my glass artwork.
Do you have any adventure trips planned for the future?
Yes! Summer is the time for adventure trips and this sum- mer is no exception. Every year I find my summers get- ting more and more packed with fly fishing trips, which always brings really exciting and unique experiences. This year you’ll find me wading in the upper Sacramento River, floating along the Smith River in Montana, exploring the vast landscapes of southwest Alaska, and hiking along the McCloud River near Mount Shasta.
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT