Staff Spotlight: Ruan

Title:
Adventure Facilitator

Photos

Ruan is our Adventure-Go-To guy. Safety is his highest priority.

What is your favorite travel memory?

This trip started on sailing boats in Indonesia. From there, we met my parents in India for 3 weeks. My father and I hired motorbikes and road across the Himalayas for 10 days. The trip was filled with many adventures. We were exposed to a whole new culture and way of life.

After traveling over the mountains and through the villages for 10 days, we met up with my fiancé and my mother and continued our travels south.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I have become a person that wants to live a life of significance rather than a life of magnificence.

Having grown with young individuals over the past 16 years has also made me more sensitive to the needs of others. Positive thinking used to be something that required conscious choice, now it has become an unbreakable habit.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

The best story that I have heard from a return student is the time when one of our students started a small dog walking company in the UK to stay fit and healthy whilst working with animals and make a bit of money on the sideline. He has since grown into a massive company that employs many people that gets to stay fit healthy and positive from all the animal love.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would go on the full gap year program that entails all four quests.

The programs build on each other and having the full year to practice and solidify all the positive habits that you learn throughout the year really makes it worthwhile. Besides, each quest is so unique and there are so many different aspects a would not want to miss out on anything.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Our company is very unique because of two reasons.

Firstly, it is a family-run business which is a great success because of the deep understanding that everyone has.

Secondly, there are a lot of very unique individuals involved who can cover different aspects of the company and, as a team, we are a formidable force to compete with.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

The biggest factor in being a successful company is integrity. Integrity is present in all that we do. So, to always align your thoughts, words and actions create an environment of trust, and where there is trust, there is good teamwork which creates effective operations.

Integrity does, of course, come from understanding love.