About
"Originally from Denver, Colorado, Carroll College found me in 2008. I grew up in a Roman Catholic household hiking and skiing with my family and camping almost every weekend in the summer with my parents and two younger sisters. Downhill skiing and mountain biking were my real passions at the time and it was my top priority to find a college near some good skiing and riding. I was immediately drawn to Montana for skiing and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Spring break of my senior year of high school, my Dad and I packed up our car and headed on a road trip to check out some Montana colleges. On the way, my Dad mentioned that there was another school in Montana I had not yet heard of, Carroll College, that he suggested we also visit on our trip. He made sure to include that there was good skiing nearby! A tour of campus, coupled with a meet and greet with Kara Addison 09', the student outdoor program president at the time, had me just about sold that this was the place for me. A powder day at Great Divide Ski area the next day might have sealed the deal.
Over the four years I spent at Carroll, I went from being an active participant in the Carroll Adventure and Mountaineering Program (CAMP) to the president of the program by my senior year, now it seems like a dream that it is a part of my full-time job! In 2012, I graduated from Carroll with a degree in Environmental Science with the best friends I could have asked for (most of which I am still very close with), a deepened faith, and more stories of adventures and some misadventures, than most people gather in their entire lifetime. While at Carroll, I fell in love with the Helena outdoor community, the 70+ miles of singletrack trails we have within walking distance of the campus, and I knew I wanted to stay in Helena after graduation.
I was lucky enough to land my first real job with Hydrometrics Inc. in Helena in the spring of 2012 where I worked for almost two years as an Environmental Scientist specializing in Hydrogeology and GIS mapping. As an outdoor geek, while I was working at Hydrometrics, I also earned my Wilderness First Responder, Swift Water Rescue Technician, and Avalanche Level 1 certifications, and additionally became a rock climbing and backpacking instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Somewhere during this time, I was lucky enough to meet my beautiful wife, Sarah (McLaughlin) Maddock 08', through some mutual friends. One of my biggest regrets while at Carroll was never studying abroad. After two years at Hydrometrics, I decided to take a six-month leave and head to Patagonia, Argentina, to rock climb during the North American winter, and then live out of my car to ski, rock climb, and raft around the US during our spring season. While I was living out of my rusted 1989 Toyota 4Runner (nicknamed the 4Racer), the time was ticking on how long I had before my bank account ran out of funds and I needed to gain employment again. I had all intentions of returning to Hydrometrics Inc, but an opening in the Student Activities Department at Carroll College opened up and a friend suggested I apply.
July 7, 2014 (after a weeklong pack rafting trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness) was my first day at Carroll. Time flies when you're having fun, and I can't believe I am in my sixth year working at Carroll College! My wife Sarah and I now have an energetic two-year-old son, Will, as well as another baby boy due on May 15. My supervisor Patrick Harris and I always joke that we have the best jobs on campus, and I think it's true. I get to work with students from all walks of life, helping them learn valuable leadership and teamwork skills while watching them grow and find their place at Carroll. As the Assistant Director of Student Activities, Recreation, and Leadership, I wear many hats on campus but love them all and the different types of students I get to interact with. I feel very blessed to be working at an institution where employees value our students so much and take care of each other as if they are family. Carroll is truly a special place."