My name is Joey Anderson. I am 32 years old and live in Chehalis, Washington, with my wife, daughter, and small dog Maggie. I was born in Fort Carson, Colorado, and have two brothers and a sister. I joined the Army Reserves when I was 17 and spent the next six years as a Corrections/Detention Specialist at Fort Lewis, Washington. After my contract was over, I was not quite done with serving, so I signed an active-duty contract and re-classed to be an Infantryman. I spent the next seven years stationed in Italy and then in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I separated from the Army in July 2021, moved back to Washington, and set out to finish college. I graduated from Arizona State University in December 2022 with a B.A. in English. In my free time, I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. I mountain bike, snowboard, hike, hunt, fish, and camp. I am also an avid reader of a wide variety of genres.
I wanted to become an Mt. Adams Institute AmeriCorps Intern mainly because I have a passion for the outdoors. I have always felt the need to be a part of something bigger than myself, and after I left the Army, I felt like that was missing from my life. I looked into a lot of different careers, but nothing I found sounded fulfilling to me. When I found MAI’s website, it was like finding the holy grail. I think that our public lands are one of the greatest gifts our country has given us, and the care of them is a task that I can put my heart into. I hope to get the necessary skills and experience to earn myself a full-time position in the U.S. Forest Service. I also hope to help clean up and facilitate recreational activities within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest so that others can enjoy it as much as I do.
