Staff Spotlight – Hayley Henderson

Hi, I’m Hayley, and I can’t be more excited for my first summer at North Star as a trip leader! I’m from Maryland and am graduating from Stevenson University in Maryland very soon with a degree in biology. On campus I’m involved as a Senior Resident Assistant, president of the Wilderness & Ecology Club, and an officer in Active Minds, a club founded on erasing the stigmas about mental health. After a few years, I want to earn my Ph.D in ecology and astrobiology, studying the relationship between animals, plants, and microbes. Hopefully one day I’ll be sent to space so I can be a real-life Mark Watney, minus the ‘getting left behind on Mars’ part.

More about Hayley:

How did you learn about North Star and why did you apply?
– The university club I run, Wilderness & Ecology, received an email about needing counselors and trip leaders. I applied because I want to be outdoors more before I get my Ph.D, and this seemed like a great opportunity to get out and share my love for nature & science before I go.

If you could be any animal (besides a human), what would you be and why?
– A striped hyena! They can raise the hair on their backs to look like a mohawk, and who wouldn’t want an awesome mohawk?

What is your favorite cartoon Character:
– Dipper and Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls!

What is your dream Job:
– To become an astronaut using my awesome future-Ph.D skills.

If you had a super hero power, what would it be:
– The ability to change probability. For example, what’s the probability that I now have a million dollars in my bank account? Boom, 100%, I’m now a million dollars richer.

What noteworthy/random/menial jobs have you held?
– Last fall I spent hours a week looking for deer poop as part of a forest recruitment research study. Yes, deer poop.

What are your top three movies of all time:
– District 9, Captain America: the Winter Soldier, and Lord of the Rings.

What did you do last summer?
– I was researching how methamphetamine affects the brain!

What is a little Known fact about yourself:
– I design costume armor based off characters from video games and TV shows to show off at Comic Con.

What, if any previous camp/outdoor experiences have you had?
– All kinds! As a Girl Scout, I started with encampments and orienteering competitions, and just haven’t stopped since! In university, I was an officer for our adventure club, organizing all kinds of fun trips out into the wilderness.