Travel really is something that has the ability to change a person, no matter where you go. Locally or internationally, memories are always made. Some of my favourite travel memories include sitting on top of a peak in the middle of the French Alps surrounded by snow, landing in Madeira and having my vovo's family welcome us with open arms, swimming with the dolphins in Mozambique and snorkeling in the incredibly blue waters of Zanzibar!
Staff Spotlight: Carla De Araujo
Title:
Communications Manager
Carla joined the Warriors team in September of 2019 after moving to the Magoesbeskloof area. She is a content strategist, focusing specifically on social media and public relations and has worked on incredible brands that include McCain SA, Huggies, Kotex, Appletiser, Albany and Saint-Gobain to name a few.
What is your favorite travel memory?
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
With experience comes growth.
Working with the Warriors team has given me a perspective on education and what young adults are really going through. It has opened my eyes to what nature and adventure can do.
The team is really focused on ensuring that each of the Warriors who enter the program has an experience of a lifetime.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
There are so many. At our last Quest graduation, one of the dads came up to me and started telling me how Warriors has impacted his son. He said that they were at a loss of what to do with him: he had no direction, was depressed, had no self-confidence and was just lost. After spending a year on the Gap Year program, his dad said he is a completely different person. He is full of passion and self-belief, which is something he had never seen in his son before.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I would definitely say the Gap Year program. The program is structured in a way that really focuses on personal growth and development.
The Warriors are not just going out there and doing adventure activities - that is just one aspect of the program. They are in workshops that help build emotional fitness, build on workplace and university readiness, help build confidence, etc. The young adults coming in are completely different from those leaving and it is incredible to see this transformation taking place.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
What makes Warriors unique are the facilitators. You will not find a group of more passionate, kind and caring individuals.
They create an atmosphere that is calm, exciting, fun and caring. They are there to support the Warriors every step of the way, help them overcome their fears and challenge them to be better.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Passion and love for what you do. You couldn't do this job if you didn't love it and if you didn't have a passion for working with young people and adventure.
The end goal for the Warriors team is to change the lives of all who take part in the program so that they leave more enriched than when they started.