After finishing his undergraduate degree in theater arts at Oklahoma State, John spent two years with the Peace Corps in The Gambia, West Africa, working as a primary teacher trainer in a rural community. He went on to work in refugee aid services to Greece, France, and along the U.S.-Mexico border before pursuing graduate studies in documentary filmmaking at George Washington University. John is a Wilderness First Responder and a backpacking instructor for NOLS, leading backcountry treks in Wyoming, Utah, Alaska, and Arizona. He recently completed a graduate program at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University studying visual journalism with a focus on environmental and immigration issues. This fall, John will be attending a Fulbright Program in international journalism in Berlin, Germany.