Samuel Kenneth McGregor: A Legacy of Service

Samuel Kenneth McGregor, 18, of Lodi, California, is a senior at Lodi High School. Samuel is a junior intern for One-Eighty Adventures, a program designed to take youth out of the city and into the wild. Single-day trips to the beach, hikes in the mountains, group camping in Santa Cruz and backpacking in the Sierras are some of the trips students look forward to. Samuel was a part of the initial trip taken by One-Eighty Adventures, which was started by his father and grandfather. In Samuel’s junior year, he was invited to join the Adventure team and help with pre- and post-trip duties, as well as help teens while on the trail.

Any funds raised by One-Eighty Adventures go to offset the costs for students to attend trips. As a result, a four-day backpacking trip might cost a student $25.
“Being a junior intern has given me opportunities to learn about leadership and service,” Samuel said. “As an example, last summer, while camping with 30 teen center teens, it began to rain around 3:00 a.m. My best friend and I got up and put rain tarps on all six tents. It felt good to take care of everyone else. It also taught me a lot about people different than I, as the trips we take and the people we share tents with are very diverse.”

Samuel plans to attend the United States Air Force Academy Prep School in hopes of serving his country as a leader one day.