Emma Cutter Stark, 24, returns to the Moondance family for her fourth summer after leading for the past three summers in Belize & Costa Rica, Thailand, and Albania, Montenegro and Greece. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, she is a graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she majored in Peace, War, and Defense. Emma Cutter spent her first year post-grad abroad in Spain, teaching English to elementary school students. She now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, working as a snowboarding instructor.
Transformation Lived
by Emma Cutter Stark
December 7, 2025
At Staff Training in May of 2023, I wrote, “This summer is just the beginning, I can already tell it will be transformative,” and boy, I could not have been more right. That letter, a letter to my future self written on the last day of training, was brimming with emotions, as an admittedly nervous first-year leader, unsure how the summer would unfold.
Three years later, I can confidently say applying to lead with Moondance Adventures is the single most life-changing decision I have made. That may sound dramatic, but no other decision in my 23 years has subsequently impacted all that was to follow. It’s been 3 years since I went through the application process, eagerly signed my contract, and there hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t thought about my time spent with Moondance.
Transformative is the word that has defined my Moondance experience. Moondance has brought me countless firsts. Many, I recall with my stomach sore from laughter, such as attempts at packing a backpack, quickly learning what sumping means, or witnessing my first Veggie off.
But, the most profound firsts are many that are unique to an individual’s Moondance experience, ones that words can’t fully capture. The first time being surrounded by 160 of the most passionate and vivacious people you’ll ever meet. The first time relying wholeheartedly on your co-leader, navigating in a foreign land far outside your comfort zone. That first time bawling crying at the airport, not sure how you’re going to say goodbye to 12 people that went from strangers to family in a matter of weeks. That conversation with a student that opens something within you, the gravity of the moment fully sinking into your core. That first time you see your student conquer something they never thought they could, celebrating like winners of the world.
Leading with Moondance Adventures continues to be the most impactful, challenging, & formative experience I could ever pursue. I return for a multitude of reasons, with the common denominator being the transformation lived. The extent to which Moondance has strengthened my leadership skills, connected me with a supportive community that keeps on giving and growing, and inspired my lust for adventure is truly remarkable. Moondance has instilled an insatiable hunger to pursue a life worth living, full of intentionality and purpose.
Though Moondance may only be a summer in the grand scheme of life, the lasting impact remains long after the seasons change. Moondance will change you, if you let it. One moment you’re simply showing up, and the next you’re wide awake to a world you didn’t know you were missing. I must warn you, you might end up like me, forever chasing experiences that emulate the feeling of Moondance. Moondance opened up my world, turned it inside out, and will forever be the best job I´ll ever have.
