I have worked as a Marketing teacher for 13 years in North Carolina. I enjoy golfing, mountain biking, backpacking, as well as hanging out with my family and dogs. My wife, Kitch, and I are extremely blessed to have four wonderful little boys in our lives. Connor (15 years old), Brandon (13 years old), Samuel (11 year old) and Grayson (7 years old) bring so much joy to our family. I will miss them so much this summer.
Director- Vickie Wilkins (TWB 1906) - Site Managers
Are you ready for some FUN OUT WEST??? If you think you have seen pictures and heard more stories than you can count, just wait till you experience it!
I’m V, Ms. Beautiful, Godmo, and that’s a few of the names I have been blessed with. The real name is Vickie Wilkins from Sanford, NC and I had the great fortune of being a staff member in 1978. I had no idea I would ever have these experiences again but Dennis and Grant Deaton have kept me in their family and to travel with them and touch this breathtaking country are never ending memories for a lifetime.
This is my 51st year teaching and presently I’m at Southern Lee High School. I teach Health and PE, 2 elective courses for upperclassmen, and I coach Girls and Boys Tennis, Girls and Boys Bowling, and am an SGA Advisor.
I work part-time for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill being an Usher Supervisor in football and basketball. I work other Olympic Sports as needed.
After more than 40 years as a Tour Director with Teens Westward Bound, this summer will be my final trip. It’s hard to put into words what the program, the Deaton family, and the thousands of young people I have traveled with have meant to my life. What began as an unbelievable opportunity has become one of the greatest blessings of my life.
For 23 days each summer, we have crossed America together - camping, laughing,hiking, growing, learning, eating gourmet meals, and finding out that when we work together, we can get things done. Nervous teenagers, teenagers who have never been west of the Mississippi, there is uncertainity about what’s it like to sleep outside, I have to wait how long for a shower, I am the only person from my hometown!!. Guess what happens on TWB - these phenomenal young people leave with confidence, friendships, independence, and a new understanding of the world around them.
To the Deaton family, THANK YOU for trusting me, believing in me, and allowing me to be a part of something so meaningful and life changing for sooooooooooo many years. The friendships with your family and those formed through this program have enriched my life beyond measure. I will always be grateful for every moment.
Teens Westward Bound let’s all of us experience life in a way we could never have imagined. Think about traveling over 8,000 miles and discovering our beautiful country,facing challenges, experiencing life, and learning things we never had a clue about! I will carry these memories and friendships with me forever, along with thousands of photos I love to look at no matter what the year was!
It’s been a wild ride with the Teens Westward Bound family, and I would take nothing for those adventures. If you thought I was leading your child, perhaps you should think again. We become one big family, and I would never trade any of the experiences with your children, because they have challenged me and taught me many things. It has been my pleasure to have been able to get to know the families through the years, and I want you to know how much your friendships mean to me.
To the Deaton family again - you can not measure my love and what each one of you mean to me. There is no measurement big enough for that! I am excited to have been a part of TWB, and it’s future will continue to be bright in the years ahead.
Trip 2 Teens Westward Bound - “Here we go!!"
Ashton Woodruff (TWB 2021) - Bloggers
HEYYY!! My name is Ashton Woodruff and this is my 2nd trip on staff and third time going on TWB! I’m from Charlotte (Lake Norman area) and went to Pine Lake Prep (K-12th). I got the opportunity to go out on the only TWB trip of the summer of 2021 and went to study at Appalachian State University right after *you'll notice a pattern between us counselors :). I studied Media in Criminal Justice with a minor in Social Work! I am currently working as a full-time server at Albertine in Uptown. I am hoping to eventually work in the nonprofit field or utilize my media skills in either sports or nonprofits!
For three summers, I worked at a summer camp outside of Yosemite National Park as a photographer/videographer (2 summers) and camp counselor, (3rd summer). I was the Photo Editor at App State’s student newspaper for a year and I self-designed my major (ask me about it!). I have also never broken a bone; but I have had 7 concussions. In my free time, I enjoy anything and everything outside (hiking, snowboarding, rock climbing), cooking and eating, duh, photography, and sports; volleyball, lacrosse, hockey, F1, baseball! Ask me anything about photography, movies, sports, or the great outdoors!!
I’m SO excited to go back out west with you all this summer, I can’t wait to meet you!! I absolutely loved seeing the nature of the West, exploring new towns, and making new friends, some of whom I’m still good friends with now! This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so take it all in and live in the moment. You’ll get out every bit that you put in, I promise! See you all soon!!
in one place for too long. I joined Trip 4 in 2019 as they took the West by storm, and I've been itching to head back out ever since! (The Deaton Stew calls to me...)Hi there! I’m Ian, and this will be my fourth year taking on the west with TWB! I went as a participant in 2019 and from the moment the bus left Mallard Creek, I knew I wanted to keep the TWB magic in my life (or maybe Deaton stew is just that good?). I graduated from Appalachian State in 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and minors in History and German, and I’m currently finishing my Master’s in International Relations. After that, I plan on seeking a position in foreign affairs at the UN in New York. Feel free to ask me about the places I’ve been to, tips and tricks for getting ready for college, or about Grant’s Elvis impression!
HEYLO TWB TRIP 2! My name is Sophia O’Sullivan, and I am from Cary, NC. This will be my second time going out west (shout out to the trip of 2021 of rona years 2021!) I am a proud mountaineer graduating from Appalachian State in 2025!! ROOLL NEERS!! I graduated with a B.S in Exercise Science and a minor in general business, and currently work as a gymnastics coach and am going to pursue my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Elon University in January. So if your parents or elders ever need a fix, you can give me a call in three years!
I LOVEEE, absolutely LOVE to travel, and a fun fact, everyplace I travel, I want to live in that area and have an existential crisis. I am into hiking, fitness, weightlifting, and grandmother hobbies such as being a proud mom of a sourdough starter named Kevin and knitting (yes, I will be bringing my knitting sticks). I am so stoked to meet everyone and feel so honored to be a part of your trip of a lifetime! Trip advice is to talk/sit next to someone new every day, and don't forget to eat your fiber!!!
Wyatt Austin (TWB 2018-3)- Dishwashers/ Bus Packers
Hi there! My name is Wyatt, and this is my first Trip as a Counselor on TWB! I went as a camper back in 2018 on trip 3. Since then, I have graduated from App State and have been lucky to travel around and see some of the TWB spots. I love to snowboard, golf, and be outside any chance I get. Jackson Hole was my favorite spot on TWB, and I even got to go out there to snowboard & snowmobile through Yellowstone National Park. Feel free to ask me about any of my travels!
