Sam Soergel he/him
Kayak Pittsburgh Assistant Manager
sam@ventureoutdoors.org
1. Briefly tell us about your background: where did you grow up, where did you go to school, and what brought you to Venture Outdoors? I grew up in the north suburbs of Pittsburgh and got both my undergrad (2018) and master’s degree (2020) from Pitt. I was the Tyke Hike intern at Venture Outdoors in 2017 and have stuck around in various roles ever since.
2. Describe your role at Venture Outdoors in 10 words or less. Working on all things Kayak Pittsburgh North Park.
3. What does “getting outside” mean to you? Enjoying fresh air and nature while wearing lots of sunscreen
4. If you had to pick only one recreational activity to practice for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? If chilling out on a beach all day counts, it would be that. If not, I’ll say hiking (to a beach).
5. What is the craziest thing you have done? I (legally) climbed to the top of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia and it was as awesome as it was crazy.
6. What are your top five favorite outdoors/travel destinations? Anywhere in Hawaii, Australian beaches, Yellowstone National Park, Virgin Islands National Park, and I’ll throw in Schenley Park for some local flavor
7. What is your favorite forest/camping snack? Maybe this is cliche, but I do enjoy a good granola bar
8. Name three people in history (dead or alive) with whom you would want to take on a Venture Outdoors program of your choice. Roberto Clemente, Joe Strummer, and Nelson Mandela
9. What are you most looking forward to at Venture Outdoors? I’m excited to continue working for an organization that shares the same values as me.
10. Describe your dream Venture Outdoors program/outing. I would love to go on a hike through a rainforest-y area with a bunch of waterfalls and cool birds.
11. What is the earliest memory you have of being outside? Watching the geese with my grandma in North Park
12. What would the title of your autobiography be? Green Eggs and Sam
13. Any hidden talents? I haven’t tried recently but I think I can name every state capital from memory.
14. What is your favorite song (or album) right now? I’m really into music so this has always been a challenging question for me, but I have been listening to Bruce Springsteen’s newest album a lot and that’s really good.
15. What is your biggest challenge nowadays? Picking what book to read next!
