Soumya lives in a small Himalayan town in India called Ranikhet at an altitude of 6132ft. It's a beautiful place surrounded by lush green pine forest. From his porch, Soumya can see snow capped mountains every morning, some of which he dreams to climb some day. Soumya works with NOLS in Ranikhet as a Program Assistant and his job is to work in Ration, Operation and Outfitting department and to set up students for their field courses.More about Soumya
How did you learn about North Star and why did you apply?
As my contract with NOLS is ending in May, I was looking for an opportunity to work as a wilderness trip leader and while searching NOLS job portal I came to know about North Start Camp. I love outdoors and I love leading students in the wilderness and sharing knowledge about wilderness skills. I know I will get to do what I love at North Star.
If you wrote an autobiography, what would the title be?
The Folded Stories
If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see
The creation of the Universe
What is your dream vacation:
To travel the world and see every corner while staying with local families and experience different cultures, eating new dishes, learn new languages and make thousand of friends.
If you had a super hero power, what would it be:
To clap and reach whenever I want to go even beyond Earth.
What noteworthy/random/menial jobs have you held?
This was more like a volunteering job. I was associated with an organization when I was a university student and my job was to stay in the hospital with severely ill patients who don't have anyone from their families to take care of them.
What TV show or movie are you ashamed to admit that you love?
The Hindi dubbed version of Sinchen.
I told the same to my best friend and there was a silence after that. So I think Sinchen is the right answer for this question.
What did you do last summer?
I was leading group in the Himalayas with an organization called Indiahikes. I went to Roopkund, also known as Skeleton Lake in the Himalayas at an altitude of 16000ft and another trek called Hampta in a beautiful region in Himachal Pradesh in India. For the last month of the summer, I trekked with my girlfriend in Ladakh in India which also known as the extended plateau of Tibet for its barren features.
What is a little Known fact about yourself:
That I am terribly afraid of cockroaches and on one should about know this.
What, if any previous camp/outdoor experiences have you had?
I have been hiking/camping for last 9 years predominantly in the Indian Himalayas and some other parts of the world. There are so many camps that I have attended and some of them I have organized. There are more than 80 treks that I have been to and few mountaineering expeditions above 20k ft. The most infamous one was in 2012 summer when I was leading a rock climbing camp in India and we almost fried because of the heat. In India, summer has a different scale and the temperature can go upto 48-degree celsius. But the most fulfilling experience was when I worked at a summer camp with visually challenged students in Kolkata.
