She steps outside, the neighborhood is quiet, but not as quiet as she likes. She wishes for serenity, time with animals and beautiful landscapes. Being outside is all she wants, but what will this desire lead to?

Ellie Guthart ‘21 has always loved nature and everything it has to offer. Ever since she was young, she has been compelled to the relaxing aura of the outdoors. “I remember going on walks a lot with my family so that really peaked my interest and the more we did it the more intrigued I got,” Ellie said.

Her interest also sparked through her dad. Ellie said her dad really enjoys being outdoors so that interest started to bloom in her as well. “Any chance I got, I would go outside, even if it was just sitting.” Ellie says.  Her family used to camp when she was younger and when they weren’t camping, her and her sister would set up a tent in the backyard to improvise. She has carried on with camping and the most recent trip she went on was with her friends. “It was impossible to sleep but when my friends and I woke up, we just played games,” Ellie said.  Another one of her desires is to travel somewhere far from civilization for vacation. She hopes to travel to the jungle or out into the ocean.

Her sister Emma Guthart ‘16 goes to college at Boulder, a university in Colorado, a place Ellie enjoys and hopes to attend when she goes to college, as well. She says she really enjoys the scenery and opportunities there. One of her favorite things to do in Colorado is hiking. Her favorite trail is Chautauqua because there are multiple trails you can go on. Ellie says she goes there every time she visits her sister. “The trails have always been a place that our family can all go to be together and just enjoy beautiful Colorado. I think it’ll always be special to us.” Emma said.

Ellie really looks forward to her future. She hopes to live in the country, far from the city. Ever since she was young, she has wanted to live somewhere else where the hustle and bustle of the city isn’t dominant. “In the city it’s hard to be outside with nature.” says Ellie, adding that it’s hard to do activities outside such as camping and hiking when the city is surrounding her. “If I wanted to go on a hike I’d have to drive 20 minutes or so, which can be annoying.” Ellie says.  Ellie wants to carry her interest of the outdoors into her career when she is older. She has a few ideas of what she would want to do, but her dream job is to work for National Geographic. She really enjoys journalism, nature, and traveling and working for National Geographic is the perfect place to do that. “I think it would be something I would be happy doing and I’m really passionate about animals,” Ellie says.