NOLS - National Outdoor Leadership School
NOLS provides field-based leadership practicums designed to support and complement classroom leadership theory by allowing students to execute and reflect on real-world decision making in austere, unpredictable, and dynamic wilderness environments with immediate consequences.
NOLS focuses on four types of leadership: Directed leadership, peer leadership, active followership, and self-leadership. During the summer, midshipmen attend two different types of courses in Alaska, backpacking and mountaineering.
"NOLS was a truly unreal experience where I was taught to lead teams of midshipmen in the Alaskan back country through adversity and uncertainty. Each midshipman took over leadership of the group and responsibility for creating and executing travel plans through difficult mountainous terrain. This brought with it unexpected challenges. On one occasion, a short hike over supposedly easy terrain turned into hours of bushwhacking through thick vegetation. On another occasion, a blizzard forced the expedition to hunker down and ration food for several days. I was pushed constantly in new and uncomfortable ways which developed my communication skills, increased my ability to make consequential decisions under pressure, and forged strong bonds of friendships between each of us midshipmen. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in NOLS and it truly lived up to every expectation I had." ~ Will Cothran, Class of 2027
"Taking part in NOLS Alaska Mountaineering developed me not just physically, but mentally. The “Designated Leader” structure allowed me to lead in an environment that simultaneously allowed me to fail and experience real consequences." ~ Faith Gorton, Class of 2027
“The NOLS experience for me was nothing but beneficial to me as a midshipman and teammate. The course allowed me not only to refresh on skills we have been taught here at the Academy in our leadership courses, but to actually implement them in a real world setting with peers. I learned how to provide effective feedback to my peers to foster growth in a constructive way.” ~ Alex Dachos, Class of 2026
