22 SEPTEMBER 2025 | TALENT, OR. -- In the spring of 2025, Mim Fritzsche of Illinois graduated from high school. But the summer was already spoken for because she'd enlisted as an intern on our 2025 Wilderness Corps.
At just 18, Mim showed up with quick wit and a fun attitude. She served June 2 through August 10, spending more than 50 nights on the trail. With a month to reflect, she shared some of her observations in a recent phone conversation.
"First and foremost, I really like doing the work," she says. "It's really fun to compete with the people around me, like a friendly competition." Being around a group of peers without computers in their pockets was a new experience.
"I would say I was definitely a talker," she says. "I've always been super curious about other people." Mim described herself as being able to sense how others are doing. "If someone's really down in the dumps, I think talking can just help you figure it out."
We talked about talking for a while in the exit interview. "People don't talk as much as they used to. I think talking is kind of getting lost, especially with AI." A freshman at Boston College, she says "there's a lot less opportunity to express your authentic self, when you could just use AI to express it for you."
The technology has transformed the college experience and is being used in every facet of academic life. She says students use ChatGPT and other applications to write essays, emails, and that pretty soon "when it comes face-to-face, it's difficult to express your personality."
While Mim's excited to be in college, she says it's "underwhelming" compared to her time on the trail and that she misses the mountains. "It really did like ignite a sort of passion in me that I wasn't expecting. I'm definitely wanting to do it again.
"You said you do have a voice and to use your power. You said you can do things and now I know I can."
