After speaking to Mark Holton, Ph.D. ’96, for just five minutes, it was obvious that his overwhelming passion for students and outdoor adventures is something that drives him everyday.
Just from his past experiences teaching students and his endeavors in the demanding sport of rock climbing, Holton wouldn’t have his life any other way.
“I’m in charge of training and staffing for Cornell indoor and outdoor climbing,” said Holton, Climbing Program Coordinator for Cornell Outdoor Education (COE). “Mainly, the part that keeps me coming back is training and having a good time with new people — enjoying the world and enjoying the learning.”
“We’ve both been involved with Cornell Outdoor Education for many years,” said COE Manager Jim Volckhausen. “He’s been focused mostly on the climbing program, while I’ve been focusing mostly on the Cornell Team and Leadership Program. We use rock climbing techniques here at the Leadership Center, and we work together on staffing and training for programs.”
Originally from New Hampshire, Holton first graced the Cornell campus as a graduate student in chemistry. After excelling in chemistry studies in both graduate classes and post-undergraduate research, Holton had a change of heart. Rather than pursue a life of beakers and Bunsen burners, Holton traded in his chemistry set for some ropes and harnesses.
“I was actually a graduate student of chemistry at Cornell,” said Holton. “My mom definitely [introduced me to climbing] — she taught me how to climb when I was really young … and after those years of chemistry at Cornell, I just looked around and wanted to do the thing that really brought me the most joy in the world — going outside, meeting new people and not having to spend hours in the chemistry lab.”
Holton’s genuine love for outdoor sports and climbing has made him an essential part of the COE team. With duties that range from teaching, staffing, hiring and programming among other responsibilities, Holton has earned the respect of not only his students but his co-workers as well.
“He’s an important part of the program for sure,” said Volckhausen. “His uniqueness comes in the fact that he’s been a really simple person — helping to bring people together, build a better sense of community, and staffing different programs for COE.”
“He’s very instrumental [to COE],” said Special Programs Coordinator Heidi Erpelding-Welch. “He definitely helps me to decide which staff members would fit the contract needs — helping to figure out where to place people … He’s very passionate about climbing, and he’s taken on a lot more administrative duties with management lately – budgeting and other aspects of the program as well.”
Climbing is a strenuous task to undertake, let alone make the center of your life — achieving and attaining the ability to teach others in an extreme sport like rock-climbing takes an incredible amount of determination. Starting at a very young age with his mother, Holton was able to continue developing his skills with the individuals that would become his best friends at Cornell.
“With my own personal achievements, I would definitely have to attribute whatever success I have to Fred Birch,” Holton said. “He was also a graduate student at Cornell and was my climbing partner for years — he pushed me to my limits all the time, really helping me to train and to focus on my technique.”
Now teaching college students rock-climbing may sound like a really cool job, but Holton definitely isn’t doing it for the money. What really motivates Holton is the joy he gets from the sport and the experiences he gains with new people everyday on the job, regardless of any money he gets for teaching.
“I opted for the job, not because there was a lot of money, but because there was a lot more happiness there,” said Holton. “It’s hard to say [the one thing that I like most about my job] — all of it with the training, the teaching, the field time, the adventures — all of that really comes down to good friendships. Whatever venue it is — staff training, classes, hiring and so forth — the greatest part is just being with those people.”
Now that Holton has years of experience in the world of rock-climbing, the path he took to get where he is today is definitely one that he did not see coming. With other interests that didn’t even touch on teaching before he came to Cornell COE, one idea ultimately led to Holton’s life going off in a whole new direction.
“In terms of professional success, I never even considered teaching until my predecessor — Charles Matheus — just grabbed a hold of me one day and said, ‘Hey! Have you ever thought about teaching rock-climbing?’” said Holton. “I never had, and I never would have … that one day and that one suggestion changed the entire course of my life.”
Holton’s dedication and pure love for rock-climbing is inspirational to all those students and co-workers that he interacts with on a daily basis. With whatever activity that anyone is especially devoted to, Holton is living proof that you can be happy in your job doing what you love to do. You can achieve success with whatever you enjoy and wherever you go; whenever you decide upon your dream for the future, you know where to find Holton.
He will still be climbing.