Logan, 22, comes to us from Simpsonville, South Carolina, and is a graduate of Clemson University. After leading both Tanzania + Zanzibar and South Africa + Mozambique last summer, he is returning for his second summer with Moondance, bringing a steady, thoughtful presence to his groups. At Clemson, Logan helped welcome and mentor incoming students, building on his leadership experience as a former soccer captain. He has also completed whitewater kayaking training focused on risk management and staying composed under pressure, complementing his humility and strong listening skills. We’re excited to welcome Logan back as he helps another group of students feel heard, supported, and encouraged to grow!
Let Go and LITMO
By Logan Survance
November 8, 2026
My Moondance story begins with a snap decision to apply. Well, honestly, it starts with a night at my favorite college-town spot, where through a series of events and an unexpected Nug Jug, I was convinced to apply. Despite some initial self-doubt, I filled out an application, started the interview process, and somehow was driving into Staff Training a few months later. Safe to say, I had no idea what I was getting into. Like all the best things in life, this summer would be infinitely more challenging and rewarding than I could have ever dreamed.
Full transparency… welcoming my first session students at the airport remains one of the most terrifying moments in my life. As we loaded bags and teenagers into the van, I cracked a joke and laughed with my students, but internally I was in full panic mode. Foot traffic, motorbikes, and cows blurred past the van window; my mind was overwhelmed by expectations for this trip and doubts about my ability to live up to them.
But the show must go on. And go on it did.
I dove coral reefs, summited mountains, jumped off dhow boats, danced with the Maasai, slept in caves, discovered what a Zanzibar Limousine is, played an amphibious beach soccer game with locals, covered thousands of miles in safari cars, watched the Serengeti stars to the soundtrack of lions, darted rhinos, ate fresh fruit from tropical trees, karaoke’d John Denver in Joburg, surfed the crystalline waves of Mozambique, and saw every sunrise and sunset for three months. I belly-laughed with students, cried with students, learned, taught, and had a million more moments that are better left in the memories of those who shared them. (I’m smiling ear to ear as I write this, remembering the names and places and beloved personalities that were my world for so long.) With every Moondance moment, exhilarating or exhausting, my expectations gave way to the moments and people in front of me. My summer was nothing like I expected or even hoped, and I am eternally grateful it wasn’t.
By my final group of students, I was a far different leader. My pride was stripped away with the expectations: no one humbles you like teenagers. I could sprint into the ocean with an exhilarating self-forgetfulness and still accomplish every necessary responsibility. I learned that childlike wonder and leadership are not mutually exclusive. In short: I was a far better leader when I stopped worrying about the type of leader I thought I “should” be.
Moondance’s influence on my life didn’t stop when the last group of students tearfully boarded their flight. As my life’s trajectory twists and turns, I can forge ahead with confidence, knowing that the best moments wait on the other side of difficulty and uncertainty, and that I serve others better in the moments when I forget myself.
I don’t have a bullet-pointed, AI-formatted flow chart of my Moondance experience and its influence on me… sorry to disappoint you. All I have is a story. A story I’m writing and being written by every day. And that story, dear reader, is my answer to “Why Moondance?”
Care to write with us?
