Names and Faces

Here's the "mugshot" list of all students and faculty in the program. It's kind of small on the blog. Click on the images and you'll get a full-size version suitable for printing.

 

Early in the trip, a few nicknames became apparent for the WSU members. Throughout the trip, more and more nicknames became apparent. Here they are, with explanations where possible and/or appropriate:

• Katie "Dorphus Poonschwabler" Boone - Long story-- this is her made-up name for a guy who works at Diné College that she and the other girls noticed

• Sarah "Thug Life" Botzek - David gave her this nickname. He had a reason. I don't understand it, but it sounds great.

• David "Asphalt Killer" Busse - he's a dangerous man with a pick-axe

• Tom "The Machine" Grier - No quit in this guy. The students saw first hand: when I say I'm going to do something, I keep plugging away until it's done -- learned from my father.

 

• Chops "Gump" Hancock - because of the many amazing stories he's told of world travel and connections with famous and important people

• Brandi "Dozer" Hagen - because of a little "eye-rest" taken during a class session

• Cory "Zoom Zoom" Hinz - this has something to do with his preference for video camera close-ups.

• Cindy "Mama Cindy" Killion - she knows how to keep the students well-fed, protected, and on-task on their projects.

• Jesssica "Deathwish" Larsen - she enjoys wander close to the edge of 900 foot tall sheer cliff canyons

• Andrew "No Sweat" Neumann - the double entendre here is important. Nothing seems to bother Andrew; he's up for anything. Plus, for some reason, in this altitude, no matter how hard he works he doesn't perspire.

• Steph "The Stump" Precourt - refers to how hard she worked removing a stump at one of our Navajo elders property (Steph has accumulated many other fun nicknames as well - perhaps you'll learn of more of them in the near future.)

• Kim "Horse-Whisperer" Streblow - because of her love of horses and the horse's love of her straw hat.

• Pete "The Animal" Swanson - because he's always climbing on stuff and because he behaves like -- well -- Pete.

• Matt "Goat-Chaser" Wandzel - If you've been following the blog, you know why.