Marlene Hild

Midwestern at heart, I was born in central Illinois and spent many holidays with my extended family in Nebraska. My hometown was a small world, but my parents exposed me to the larger world through reading, art, and traveling, from camping in the Wind River Mountains, to seeing the major art museum in every city we visited, to taking me to every midnight Harry Potter book release.

I attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and graduated with a B.A. in Religion and an Interdisciplinary Emphasis in Asian Studies. While there, I participated in the Pac Rim Program, a full-year study abroad program that takes a small group of students on travels across Asia. Going to UPS felt like the turning point in my life.

I then proceeded to learn as many skills and see as many places as possible through my various internships, apprenticeships, and jobs. My passions have taken me all over the world, from the idyllic farms of California to the fiery kitchens of Uruguay. I’m always cultivating my love of food, community, and planet. 

I am also an avid thruhiker (backpacking very long distances). I have hiked the Pacific Crest Trail to raise money for an art gallery in memory of my father, as well as the Arizona Trail. I began by hiking the John Muir Trail, which got me hooked on thruhiking.

I have a lot of thoughts, opinions, and opportunities to listen.

Learn about my projects here.