Description

My name is Andrea Sicignano and I’m 25 years old from Long Island, New York. I am just finishing up my 12 month working holiday in Australia, and will begin my 12 months in New Zealand this September! The position as a glacier tour guide really jumped at me, as I’m an outdoor enthusiast and spend most of my time hiking or exploring the outdoors whether its for work or personal recreation.

Most of my experience as an outdoor educator has involved me leading groups of children as young as 5 years old, and as old as 18. Teaching at such a variety of levels has broadened my knowledge and confidence on the trails. My first outdoor education job was in Southern California at an outdoor science school, where I was teaching a variety of science subjects such as botany, zoology, geology, astronomy, etc. Although the students were being tested and graded on the material I was teaching, I was also playing somewhat of a camp counselor role. This meant that not only did I have to get the information across to the students, but I had to do it in a fun, lively and entertaining way. Luckily this came naturally for me, as I am very upbeat and outgoing, however it enhanced my public speaking skills and general confidence in teaching.

Hiking is my activity of choice during my free time, and I’m fortunate that the main focus of my last 3 jobs was also based around it. When I was working in New Hampshire, I was responsible for leading multi-day hikes with groups of 8-12 students, spending nights in huts where I prepared food for the groups. The White Mountains are a very accessible range, consisting of over 40 mountains that rise over 4,000 feet, which I made a point to hike every weekend, even when I wasn’t working. While living there, I started getting involved in some solo hiking where I got to discover a lot about myself as far as my physical and mental endurance on the trails.

I have never visited a glacier, but it’s an environment I have wanted to experience since I was young and could understand that they are melting worldwide. I would love to have the chance to spread awareness about our planet’s glaciers, and what we can do to protect them. Having the chance to work among some of the most beautiful environments this hemisphere has to offer would be a dream come true for me!