My name is Max Gilyutin and I am currently a junior in PiTE (Program in the Environment) in LSA. I am originally from Brooklyn, New York and have lived there for most of my life. After my freshman year at Michigan, I decided to spend the summer working in Jackson Hole, Wyoming so I could explore the Grand Tetons and other National Parks in Western United States. I was originally planning on majoring in engineering but after my summer in Wyoming, I decided to take an alternative route and major in the environment. This newfound passion for nature and sustainability prompted me to join Net Impact, where I was a member of the Green Parks Plan project team. For this project, my team and I came up with a plan for the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission to become a net zero organization, hopefully making them carbon negative eventually. At the end of the school year, we had the invaluable experience of presenting this plan to the committee at one of their board meetings to which they said they would love to take it on.
I spent this past summer living in a rural town in Central Alaska called Healy, which is about 10 miles away from the entrance of Denali National Park. For work, I was a zipline guide, leading people from all around the world through the heart of the Boreal Forest via high speed ziplines. While I came into the job without ever going on a zipline, we spent the first two and a half weeks training on how to guide people through the course and every rescue that could possibly entail. After training, the guests started showing up and the Summer was in full swing. Every team of two guides would take groups of people on a three hour tour two to three times every day. Even though the job was definitely physically demanding as we worked long hours in sometimes harsh weather, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life (so far). We lived in small dorm style housing with space for just necessities and nothing else. Between the 30 of us that lived there, we all shared one kitchen and five bathrooms and while amenities were definitely limited, I would not have wanted to spend my summer in any other way.
This summer provided me with an amazing opportunity for personal and professional growth. Living in a remote town like Healy, surrounded by the vast wilderness of Denali National Park, taught me how valuable living a simple and self-sufficient life is. I learned to adapt quickly to new challenges, whether it was utilizing the technical skills required to safely guide tours or having to live in super close quarters with the other guides who turned out to be some of my best friends. The experience also deepened my appreciation for the environment and strengthened my commitment to protecting it. Spending almost four months in such an incredible natural setting will constantly remind me of the importance of preserving these wild spaces. This reinforced my decision to pursue a career in the environment and sustainability, and I am now more motivated than ever to make a positive impact on the world around me. I’m looking forward to having another great year with Net Impact!
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