OK, devoted Parallel Blog readers, it’s been entirely long since we’ve added an entry in the “Who Is Parallel?” series. To get the party (re-)started, we’re going to kick things off with a bang and introduce you to Annika Nygren, Parallel’s new Communications and Logistics Manager.
Annika is, in a word, a dynamo. She is a world-traveling outdoor leader, a yoga instructor (actually an instructor of instructors – an “Instructor²,” if you will…), a collegiate athlete (she was one of the fiercest field hockey players at Amherst), and (paradoxically?) one of the nicest people you’ll come across this week. We are incredibly fortunate to have her on the team. And those of you on this May’s custom Portugal trip will get to trade stories on the trail with her in person! Read on for more about Annika.
Annika met Parallel Director Chad Olcott way back in 2014, while walking through the Amherst College Student Center. She was captivated by an iPad displaying images of teens hiking and biking in beautiful places. Despite never having hiked or camped before, Chad took Annika under his wing and hired her to work with Apogee Adventures* that summer. That experience completely changed Annika’s path, and she is now approaching 10 years in outdoor and travel guiding!
*For anyone unfamiliar, Chad has spent 15-plus years as a Director at Apogee, running outdoor adventure programs for teens and young adults.
From the mountains of Maine, Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon… to the waves of Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico… and to the volcanoes of Guatemala, the Canary Islands, and Bali… Annika lives life in motion. After several years of teaching kindergarten and working towards her Master’s in Education and Human Development in Boulder, Colorado, she took a leap of faith, leaving the traditional classroom to embrace the world’s classroom. She has been nomadic since the pandemic let folks move around again, and when she’s not working behind the scenes for Parallel, you can find Annika teaching 200-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings, conducting Ayurvedic consultations, guiding, cooking vegetarian meals, riding (and occasionally getting smashed by) waves, and reading. She loves good food, beautiful plants, and meaningful connections.
As of the date of this blog post, Annika is riding waves and dodging mosquitoes on Nusa Lembongan, a small island off the coast of Bali in Indonesia. She will soon head to India and Guatemala before meeting up with Parallel in Portugal on the Fisherman’s Trail this May! Who knows… she might even lead a yoga session or two while out on the gorgeous coastal cliffs…
We’re so excited to have Annika on board, and we can’t wait for you, gentle reader, to meet her and experience her passion, expertise, and really impressive laugh. Welcome to the Parallel Universe, Annika!
