An Adventurous Career: Aaron's EF Journey

At a career or job fair, there is a typical ambiance: booths are organized into rows, tables are stacked with company brochures and lined with branded pens and professionally dressed company representatives are ready to answer questions and collect resumes. This is the scene Aaron walked into when he was a senior at Brown University in Providence, RI. However, something caught his eye amongst the rows of investment banking and consulting firms.

"There was an EF Education First booth, and it was bright pink," Aaron remembers. "On a big pink banner, it said, 'Not consulting, not investment banking, something different.'"

Eight years later, Aaron is now the Director of Product Development for EF Adventures, the newest business in the EF World Journeys family. So far, his EF journey has been full of innovation, creativity, and like that career fair banner promised, something different from the STEM career he thought he would pursue as an engineering major.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) constantly reshapes our communities and is a path Aaron knew he wanted to pursue early on. "I was quite good at math and science growing up as a kid, but I didn't want to be a doctor, teacher, or a mathematician," Aaron reflected. "I wasn't exactly sure what that meant for me career-wise, so I figured I would explore and see what happened."

Aaron majored in mechanical engineering while at Brown, and the summer after his junior year, he interned with a diesel engine company. “While I enjoyed the science and research side of things, I wanted a significantly more collaborative environment where I could work in step with people instead of just driving my own initiatives,” Aaron reflected. “That experience made me consider more than just engineering when it came time to think about what a job could be post-college."

After discovering EF at the career fair, he applied for and was accepted into the EF 360 Global Trainee Program, EF's flagship trainee program. He was placed in the EF Boston office to be mentored by Kate Berseth, Executive Vice President at EF. "About two months into my 360 year, Kate and I settled on a project that took up the rest of the year and eventually became my full-time role," Aaron said. That project was creating STEM Tours, a collection of tours that showcase the universality of STEM subjects and the diverse ways of thinking and building they inspire.

This project was particularly well-suited for Aaron due to his background in STEM and his passion for providing experiential learning for students pursuing STEM. "There are a lot of kids who lose interest in science and math as they go through school because they have not been exposed to the different ways to apply STEM to a career," Aaron notes. "But on these tours, they get to talk to a doctor or researcher, a mathematician, or a scientist, and hear about what they do daily and their journey to get to where they are. That inspires many kids, and it is a moment when they realize they can go and do that, too. So, it does feel great that I got to provide an experience for kids like me to pursue STEM."

Aaron moved to Denver, Colorado a few years after starting full-time at EF. After nearly seven years of growing and developing the EF Educational Tours market development team, he jumped into a new endeavor as the Director of Product Development for EF Adventures. "I think I'm going to have my cup filled in a different way now, which is incredibly exciting and intimidating because change is scary," Aaron reflects. "But you grow the most when you go outside your comfort zone. And I feel lucky to take on a new experience like this here at EF."

EF Adventures is the newest addition to the EF World Journeys family, a group of travel companies that include EF Go Ahead Tours and EF Ultimate Break. “EF Adventures is for the active-oriented traveler who is curious about the world and wants to go explore different destinations, but under their own power. It’s all about travel that moves you, both literally and metaphorically. There’s such a sense of community that comes with an experience like this, both travel and being physically active independently; finding the intersection of the two creates this unique opportunity to bond with people and to do something that you can be proud of.”

As Aaron has entered this new chapter, he reflected on how EF has shaped him professionally and personally. "I am a much more informed global citizen. Part of that comes with travel, but a huge part comes with this amazing company that promotes breaking down barriers and opening the world through education," Aaron said. "I grew up a somewhat naïve, suburban Boston kid with a very narrow scope on how the world works and how I fit into the world. I will forever thank EF for providing me with such an amazing opportunity for both professional and personal growth."

Professionally, EF has helped Aaron reimagine what his career would and could look like. "Being at EF, I can work on something that I feel passionate about and something that means something to me outside of the nuts and bolts of the day-to-day," Aaron noted. "At EF, I have also discovered what my professional passions are. I didn't know I was interested in the business world until I was thrown into it here. I feel like I've learned a ton and have been able to figure out where I fit into this giant puzzle of where I want my career to go."