Madeleine Colvin

B.A. International Relations, Pomona College

M.Ed Curriculum & Instruction: Education for Environment & Community, University of Washington

Wilderness First Responder

Madeleine was born and raised in the Seattle area, on Duwamish land, and feels most at home in a light drizzle. Her parents are from Taiwan and Texas, so she was exposed to two very different cultures from a young age, though she never imagined she would one day find herself living in China.

Madeleine first visited China in 2011 and has been returning ever since. In 2016, she received a Fulbright grant to conduct anthropological research in ethnic minority tourist villages on China’s borders with Myanmar and Laos. She spent several months living with Jinuo and Dai families, during which time she learned not only about the impacts of tourism, but also about the importance of community, the life cycle of rubber trees, and how to sharpen a pencil with a machete.

Living in tourist villages led Madeleine to become interested in the field of educational travel, as she wanted to help visitors engage with local communities in a responsible and respectful way. Madeleine came upon Dragons through serendipity – she bumped into a group of Dragons students at a school in Kunming – and she soon found herself organizing village homestays for Dragons semester programs. Impressed by the curious, adventurous spirit of the students and instructors she met, she decided to become a Dragons instructor herself. Over the years, she has since led summer, semester, and partnership courses in China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

Madeleine has also worked in a variety of outdoor leadership, environmental education, and classroom teaching settings in the United States. In addition to her work in experiential and cross-cultural education, Madeleine is also enthusiastic about guided dance parties, drinking tea with loved ones, cooking meals that take several hours, self-publishing zines, and listening to old people’s stories.