Lydia Fanning
Clinical Intern
Lydia (she/her/hers) was born and raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts and grew up spending lots of time in the ocean while also exploring the mountains of Vermont on foot and on skis with her family.
Lydia studied Psychology and Sociology at Colby College and ran on the track and cross country teams. While at Colby, she led outdoor orientation trips for first-year students in the Maine wilderness. Lydia spent the spring of her junior year in Santiago, Chile, studying abroad in a human rights focused program. She had the opportunity to work at a community center, providing educational support and mentorship to children who had recently immigrated to Chile. Continuing her work with disadvantaged youth, Lydia spent a month working with children at a family shelter in San Francisco, California. After graduating from Colby, Lydia moved to Bozeman, Montana where she lived out her dream of working outdoors full-time, ski instructing in the winters and mountain bike coaching in the summers. She returned east to pursue a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Vermont and hopes to continue working with youth and families.
Lydia believes that the outdoors provides a setting in which we can work through difficult emotions, connect deeply to ourselves and build strong connections with others. She is looking forward to further exploring the wilderness-mental health connection at True North.
Lydia aspires to spend as much time outside as possible. When she’s not studying, you can find her trail running, mountain biking or jumping into the nearest river. Once she completes her upcoming marathon, her next challenge is a triathlon and a solo backpacking trip.