����vlog���� junior Mirian Miralda has discovered a way to combine her love of art with her passion for the outdoors and the campus community is reaping the rewards.

Miralda, an art and marketing major from Comayagua, Honduras, recently completed painting a large wall map mural in the University’s new Ozarks Outdoors space, located in the first floor of the Seay Student Center. The mural measures 8.5 feet tall by 15.5 feet long and features numerous popular outdoor destinations within an hour’s drive of campus.   

Miralda, who is a work-study student for Ozarks Outdoors, started planning the mural during the past summer and began painting in early December. She said the mural took about 100 hours — from the design phase to the painting process — to complete.

“It’s my way of contributing to Ozarks, leaving my mark, and fostering a fun connection with the outdoors,” Miralda said. “It is my first mural, but hopefully not the last one. This project holds personal significance as it aligns with my belief in the power of art to evoke emotions. The mural serves as a visual narrative, reminding people of the beauty that surrounds us and encouraging a sense of adventure.”

Darrell Shaw, director of Ozarks Outdoors, knew of Miralda’s talent in art and proposed the idea of the mural to her as a focal point in the new office space that the program was moving into at the end of the Spring 2023 Semester.

“Darrell, knowing I do art, instantly thought about painting a mural in the new office,” Miralda said. “So, we discussed what we wanted to do, and he came up with the idea of having a map showcasing the best outdoor spots around the area. During the summer of 2023, I worked on the design, researched the places, designed the illustrations for each of them, and planned the overall design of the map. Then, starting winter break, I began painting the mural.”

The mural highlights many iconic outdoor recreation spots in the region, including Hawksbill Crag, Falling Waters Waterfall, Strawberry Bluffs, Haw Creek Falls, Lake Ludwig, the Ozark Highlands Trail and Longpool Recreation Area.

“The Ozarks are loaded with waterfalls, rock climbing, hiking, paddling, and biking and this mural enhances the Ozarks Outdoors’ space by highlighting recreational opportunities that are roughly one hour from campus,” Shaw said. “One of the goals of the mural was to showcase these areas and to pique the interest of would-be adventurers.”

Miralda said the most difficult part of painting the mural was “balancing realism with illustration” and that it required a lot of planning and numerous revisions. “It also took me a lot longer to paint than I was expecting,” she said.

Miralda said her interest in art goes back as long as she can remember.

“It all began with drawing and painting as a child, and I became more engrossed in it as I spent more time with it,” she said. “It’s a God-given talent and passion. What I enjoy most about it is that an artist can communicate without the use of words. You can bring to life an imaginary scene or idea and make something that exists only in your mind a reality.”

While her love of art has been a long-time passion, her love for the outdoors is newfound.

“Back home, I never had the opportunity to connect with adventure,” she said. “During Spring Break 2022, I went on a trip with Ozarks Outdoors in which I met adventure and Darrell. His passion for the outdoors inspired me and brought out that outdoorsy and adventurous side of me that I didn’t even know I had. The following semester, I started working for Ozarks Outdoors and had more and more opportunities to enjoy nature. The outdoors is where I discovered a new version of myself and got to see qualities that I never thought I had, such as perseverance and courage.”

Miralda credits her Ozarks professors for helping her grow.

“Their guidance and constructive feedback have pushed me to explore new techniques and ideas,” she said. “The supportive community at Ozarks has fostered an environment for creative growth and the discovery of my place in art.”

She hopes to combine her love for art and marketing into a productive career.

“I’m planning on pursuing my marketing career but also my artistic journey through every opportunity I have,” Miralda said. “In the long term, while I pursue my marketing career, I aim to establish myself as an artist. I aspire to contribute to public art installations and collaborate with communities to bring art into everyday spaces, fostering a sense of artistic enrichment.”

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Adventure writer and international mountain guide Charlotte Austin will speak about her 2019 summit of Mount Everest as a visiting lecturer at ����vlog���� at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28, in the Rogers Conference Center.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to the first 150 guests. Masks and social distancing protocols will be enforced.

Austin’s presentation, sponsored by Ozarks Outdoors and the Office of Student Affairs, is titled, “Climbing Mount Everest: Lessons From The World’s Tallest Peak.” In this engaging lecture, Austin will share photos and videos from her successful climb of Mount Everest, and share some of the kernels of wisdom she learned along the way.

An international mountain guide, Austin leads climbing, mountaineering and hiking expeditions around the globe. She has guided some of the world’s tallest mountains, and works in places including North and South America, Europe, Alaska, Patagonia, and Nepal. She is an EMT, an extra class ham radio operator, and accomplished sailor.

She has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, and is currently writing a book about her summit of Mount Everest. She lives on a small island in the Salish Sea near Seattle, Washington.

Austin did her undergraduate work at the University of Saint Andrews (in Scotland) and at the University of Washington, where she earned a bachelor’s of arts in environmental studies. She then attended the master’s of fine arts program at the University of Alaska Anchorage in creative nonfiction.

Austin will be on campus throughout the week of Oct. 25 for a variety of events, including workshops and classroom lectures. She will also lead an overnight camping trip in the Ozark Mountains for female U of O students and a climbing trip to Northwest Arkansas for students.

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Darrell Shaw III has been named the new director of Ozarks Outdoors, the outdoor education and recreation program at ����vlog����. He will begin his new duties on Oct. 1.

A native of Lamar, Ark., Shaw served as director of outdoor education and recreation at Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., from 2013 to 2018. Since 2018 he has been the program manager for the Parks and Recreation Department in Fayetteville, Ark., where he helped create a nationally-recognized community outdoor recreation program, Outdoor Fayetteville.

“Working for Ozarks Outdoors is my dream job,” Shaw said. “I am very excited about the opportunity to share my passion for experiential education, student development, traveling and adventuring with the students at U of O in my hometown. Arkansas is such a beautiful place and there are so many amazing places to explore. My vision for the program is to provide numerous opportunities for students to recreate outside through outdoor adventures and intramurals, while also providing student leadership opportunities for the student staff. I want to foster a space that is welcoming and open to all.”:

Shaw replaces Bendex Stevenson, who stepped down from the position this past summer to pursue other opportunities.

Shaw earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation and sport management from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and his master’s degree in recreation and sports administration from Western Kentucky University.

He said his favorite thing about leading students on outdoor adventures is “getting someone out of their comfort zone and trying something new.”

“It is so rewarding seeing someone discover something they become very passionate about after taking that first step and trying it for the first time,” Shaw said. “Life is all about relationships and trying new things. Extended trips are the best. When you get a group to commit to spending five-plus days and nights together, it really gets to be fun when people open up and let their guard down. I have so many great memories with students, of all different backgrounds and skill levels, adventuring in places all across the world. The skills, experiences and relationships developed on these types of trips are those that a person will enjoy for a lifetime.”

At Lyon, Shaw helped develop the college’s outdoor leadership program, managed the intramural program, taught academic classes in outdoor leadership and recreation, and oversaw a bike shop that served the campus and community.

He is a member of the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) and is certification and training in SOLO Wilderness First Responder, Single Pitch Instructor Training and ACA Swiftwater Rescue Class III.

Shaw enjoys climbing, cycling, camping, paddling, photography, fishing, hunting, sports, gardening and building things. He and his wife, Samantha (Sammie), met in grad school at WKU, where they were both graduate students. Samantha has a master’s degree in sport and recreation management. She homeschools the couple’s three children, Lily, Norah and Amos.

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����vlog���� will host the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) film tour titled, The Exploration, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov., 29.

The event, which is presented by the University’s Ozarks Outdoors program, will be held in the Rogers Conference Center. It is open to the public and there is no charge for admission.

The multi-city Exploration film tour started as a way to tell the stories of ordinary individuals pursuing their dreams in extraordinary wilderness environments. It continues this year with six short films that range from a group of runners traversing Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in a weekend, to the canoe trip that jump-started Jimmy Carter’s movement to protect rivers.

With this film tour, NOLS hopes to highlight the inspiring places and people that can be found in this world, and stoke the fire of adventure.

NOLS is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoors skills, wilderness medicine, risk management and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions and in traditional classrooms.

For more information about the event, please contact Adam Bates at 979-1400 or abates@ozarks.edu.

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����vlog���� Professor Dr. Jesse T. Weiss will premiere his documentary, “Natty Parks,” on the Ozarks campus at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 3, in the Rogers Conference Center’s Hanna Room.

The film was written, directed, filmed and edited by Weiss, professor of sociology and environmental studies.

The documentary chronicles the journey that capped Weiss’ Spring 2018 National Parks course as students and faculty members travelled by road into the west to visit the national parks they had studied. The class traveled 3,500 miles, through seven states to visit nine national parks in 10 days.

The film features Ozarks students Derric Davis, Jake Sawyer, Cat Thompson, Christina Waddle, Jonathan Barham, Tristian Leonard and Erika Henderson as well as Dr. Warren Sconiers, assistant professor of biology at Ozarks.  It also features original music recorded and produced by Neal Harrington, professor of art at Arkansas Tech University.

“Natty Parks” was selected to screen at the 48th Annual Arkansas Sociological and Anthropological Association (ASAA) meeting at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., on Nov. 2.

The Oct. 3 premiere on the U of O campus is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. Cast members will be on hand to answer questions during a panel discussion that will follow the film’s screening.

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Ozarks Outdoors will present renowned adventure writer and climbing guide Charlotte Austin for a talk at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, in the Rogers Conference Center.

Austin will share stories of her adventures and speak about outdoor leadership and women in the outdoors. The presentation is open to the public and there is no charge for admission.

A resident of Seattle, Austin has guided in the wilds of North and South America, Europe, Patagonia, Nepal, and Alaska.

A strong female role model in a male-dominated industry, Austin’s work has appeared in publications such as, “The Alpinist,” “Misadventures Magazine,” and REI’s “Force of Nature” campaign. She also serves as one of the editors of the anthology, “The Better Bombshell: Writers and Artists Redefine the Female Role Model.”

Austin will be on campus from Oct. 10-14 for a variety of events, including workshops and classroom lectures. She will also lead an overnight climbing trip in the Ozark Mountains for female Ozarks students.

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Adventure writer and mountain guide Charlotte Austin will speak at ����vlog���� at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 4, in the Rogers Conference Center.

The event, which is sponsored by the University’s Ozarks Outdoors organization, is open to the public and there is no cost for admission.

A resident of Seattle, Austin has guided in the wilds of North and South America, Europe, Patagonia, Nepal, and Alaska.

A strong female role model in a male-dominated industry, Austin’s work has appeared in publications such as, “The Alpinist,” “Misadventures Magazine,” and REI’s “Force of Nature” campaign. She also serves as one of the editors of the anthology, “The Better Bombshell: Writers and Artists Redefine the Female Role Model.”

Austin will share her work and speak about women in the outdoors.

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A two-day wilderness first aid course will be held on campus Feb. 10-11, 2018.

The course is being presented by the University’s Ozarks Outdoors program and will be taught by members of the Ozark Safety and Rescue Educators organization.

It will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and will consist of both classroom learning and hands-on scenarios. Participants who complete the course will earn a certification in wilderness first aid.

The introductory course will focus on basic first aid skills and the principles of treating injuries in a wilderness setting.

“This is a great certification for those interested in working outdoors, for the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and many other great agencies and non-profits who operate outdoors,” said Adam Bates, assistant director of Ozarks Outdoors and residential life. “These are great skills for any outdoor enthusiast to have in order to be prepared in a backcountry setting.”

The cost of the course is $100 for U of O students, faculty and staff, and $150 for the general public. The costs includes course fees and lunch on both Saturday and Sunday in the University cafeteria. The minimum age to register for the course is 16.

For more information or to register, please contact the Ozarks Outdoors staff at outdoors@ozarks.edu.

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“As an English major and an avid lover of the outdoors, the plain combination of “book” and “trails” in the same sentence was very intriguing,” said Sawyer, a ����vlog���� freshman from Mena, Ark. “I looked up their website and immediately decided it would be the perfect fit.”

Sawyer will spend 10 weeks this summer in Colorado serving an internship with BookTrails, a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy and the outdoors for children. The series of week-long camps combine reading and writing exercises with nature hikes and outdoors education programs.

Each camp will have a different theme or book series that the students will focus on, such as a survival skill camp based on Gary Paulsen’s “Hatcher” series, or a pioneering camp paired with “The Little House on the Prairie.”

Sawyer secured one of the program’s four internships from more than 200 applications. He’s also one of only a few freshmen to ever earn an internship with the program.

Freshman Jake Sawyer of Mena, Ark., was one of four college students from more than 200 applicants to secure an internship this summer with BookTrails in Steamboat Springs, Colo.He credited Ruth Walton, director of Career Services, for helping him during the application process.

“I put together a rough draft of a resume and cover letter and Ruth gave me a wealth of great feedback and ways to improve it,” Sawyer said. “The resume heped me get to the next round and I have no doubt that without going to Ruth I would not have gotten the internship.”

After a phone interview, Sawyer advanced to the final round, where a Skype interview and a strong letter of recommendation from Ozarks Outdoors Director Bendex Stevenson helped him make the final cut.

“Even though I was a freshman, the director told me that she fought for me because she thought I had great energy and personality for their organization,” Sawyer said. “When I got the news that I had received the internship, I was very excited because it’s such a great opportunity to combine two things that I love, reading and the outdoors.”

A zealous reader since he was young, Sawyer said he has gained a greater interest and confidence in writing during his first year at U of O.

“My first semester at Ozarks I took an intro to creative writing class with professor Chris Carrier and that class really changed how I viewed writing,” Sawyer said. “That class made me really think about how I wanted to express myself, what goals I wanted to set in my writing and what types of things I wanted to write about. It got me really excited about writing for probably the first time in my life. Also during that first semester I entered Project Poet and was thrilled to finish in third place. That was really the first time I’ve ever made my writing public and had others hear it and judge it. That was a great confidence-booster for me and was incredibly affirming.”

Sawyer, who would like to become a college professor one day, is also a member of the university’s swim team as well as the Outbackers. He said he has been amazed how much has happened in just his first year at Ozarks.

“it’s pretty remarkable how much I’ve learned and grown these last few months,” Sawyer said. “The professors here have been so supportive and inspiring. I’m excited to see what the next three years will bring.”

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This camp will take place along the Buffalo National Scenic River and includes backpacking, paddling, and rock climbing activities. The theme will be Leadership, Safety & Rescue. Successful participants will gain Wilderness First Aid Certification and Level-3 Swift Water Rescue Training!

When: June 16-22

Where: Buffalo National Scenic River

Who can register: High school age students age 13-18.

Cost: $300.00

This course is held in the outdoors, so we recommend that participants bring the appropriate outdoor clothing, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. All meals are provided for the week. Participants will meet at the Ozarks Outdoors BaseCamp, and transportation to and from the camp destination will be provided by Ozarks Outdoors.

Register Online or contact Ozarks Outdoors by phone at 479-979-1-FUN (1386) or by email at outdoors@ozarks.edu.

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