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Gretchen Korb-Nice’s La Vida Experience

 La Vida participant and sherpa from 1994–1996
 

Immigration Lawyer
Seattle, WA 

I’ll never forget what it was like to be a sherpa—laying out the map, looking at the terrain, talking about the wild card scenarios of weather, water supply and food. 

La Vida shifted the way in which I look at myself as a leader. 

Beyond the technical skills and decision-making required of me as a guide, the most crucial part of the job was being able to communicate with my co-guide and participants. Everyone entered the trip with different past experiences and skills, and it was my job to empower and challenge them so that they would be ready for a time when I would not be there. 

The lessons I learned as a guide have gone further than the trailhead. 

Being a sherpa was the first of many experiences in my life that required me to walk alongside others in their journey. 

While the situations I am in now as an immigration lawyer and teacher at Landmark School are different, being a sherpa has prepared me for the scenarios I encounter every day in both of my jobs. 

As I work alongside people who have recently immigrated to the States or have been here for a long time, I am a part of their journey through empowering them to be confident and independent as they embark on the long process. It's amazing to see how far people can come and what they can learn in such a short amount of time. At the end of each La Vida trip, I was amazed to see the progress my participants had made in such a short amount of time. Likewise, I am inspired by my clients every day as they continually work towards their goals. 

Similarly, Landmark students who have learning disabilities develop skills and tools to help move forward in their learning. I come alongside them and help in the process. It's rewarding to see them develop during the long journey. 

In my fields of work, I need to capture whom a person is and what their story is. I need to be listening and looking for something that they may not even know is there. Persistence and perseverance are important, and I learned that working with La Vida.