Defining Experiential Learning: Real Responsibility, Real Confidence

• Special thanks to Mr. Chris Hayward, Mr. Doug Alford, Mr. Robert Manning, and Mr. Jim “MC” McLaughlin — mentors who helped shape Brandon’s Gould experience.

At Gould Academy, we often talk about experiential education — but every so often, a student’s story puts real meaning behind the phrase. It becomes less of an educational philosophy and more of a lived truth.

There’s a familiar message that young adults often hear as they grow into themselves, especially the ones with visible talent: Pick one thing. Specialize. Narrow your focus. Choose your lane. 

But the best learning environments don’t force that kind of choice. They do something more powerful. They create the space for students to explore without losing momentum, to discover new strengths without abandoning old ones, and to realize that passion doesn’t always divide — sometimes, it multiplies.

That’s exactly what happened for Gould senior Brandon Philip ’26.

Most people at Gould know Brandon as a musician first. He’s not simply “good for a high school student.” He’s the kind of performer who holds a room without trying — natural, confident, and technically gifted. At one school assembly, Brandon played a song so convincingly that when a video was posted afterward, YouTube flagged the clip for copyright, mistakenly identifying his performance as “Eric Church live in New York City.”

It’s a funny story — and one Brandon has every right to wear like a badge of honor — but it also captures something important. Brandon’s talent is real. His musicianship is professional-level. And for a long time, it would have been easy to assume music would be the beginning and end of his Gould story.

But Gould is not the kind of school that asks students to shrink themselves into one identity.

Rooted in the mountains, Gould’s location is more than scenic, it’s central to how our students learn, lead, and grow. Just six miles from campus sits Sunday River Resort, one of the largest and most iconic ski areas in the East. For our students, the mountain is not a “perk.” It’s part of the educational environment. It’s where resilience becomes real, where leadership gets tested, and where experiential learning happens at full volume.

That environment has a way of inviting students into new versions of themselves and for Brandon, it opened the door to something he never expected.

During his time at Gould, Brandon found himself drawn to the Ski Patrol Program, a pathway that demands maturity, discipline, and an unusual level of composure. Ski Patrol is not symbolic leadership; it’s real responsibility. Students train in emergency response and mountain safety, develop confidence in decision-making under pressure, and learn what it means to take responsibility not only for themselves, but for the wellbeing of others.

Brandon leaned in completely, and he trained hard. 

In only 3 years, he earned his official Ski Patrol jacket — a clear marker that he had put in the work, exceeded the standard, and became part of a team built on trust. And before long, Brandon wasn’t only learning; he was working as a certified Ski Patroller, stepping into a first-responder role while still balancing academics, friendships, and music.

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Moments that Matter: Working Together to Make a Difference

There wasn’t one single moment that changed everything, it was the steady accumulation of real experience.

Through his work with Ski Patrol, Brandon has helped multiple skiers and riders over the course of the season, including responding to serious injuries, like broken bones and concussions. These are not casual situations. They demand calm decision-making, clear communication, and the kind of composure that can’t be taught in a traditional classroom. Helping someone safely off the mountain — often when they’re scared, in pain, and disoriented — requires both physical skill and emotional maturity.

For a teenager, it’s the kind of responsibility that instantly separates theory from real life. It’s also what experiential education is meant to do: not simulate leadership, but place students close enough to real stakes that they discover who they are and what they’re capable of.

As Brandon said, 

“It’s one thing to be focused when you’re performing. It’s another kind of focus when someone is hurt and counting on you.  When they’re most vulnerable, and looking to you as their lifeline, even when you’re only 17 years old. It’s about empathy, and being able to provide a steady confidence in their moments of need.”

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Finding a Lifetime of Purpose

This is the Gould difference. Learning doesn’t stop when class ends, it continues — on the mountain, in the IDEAS Center, through leadership opportunities, athletics, service, outdoor programs, and the moments that quietly shape character.

In Brandon’s case, Ski Patrol became far more than a program. It revealed a new calling.

Somewhere between early morning training runs, long patrol shifts, and the kind of responsibility most people don’t experience until adulthood, Brandon discovered something essential: he loved helping people. He didn’t just enjoy the adrenaline or the excitement; he was drawn to the care. The steadiness. The sense of purpose that comes from being useful in the most human way.

That realization shaped his future.

Brandon decided he wanted to continue his education in nursing, a path rooted in service, patience, and courage, and a perfect fit for someone who already proved he could remain calm, responsible, and compassionate under pressure.

Brandon has been accepted to every nursing program he applied to — a testament to both his academic readiness and the maturity he’s developed through hands-on leadership. He’s currently weighing his options and exploring which college will be the best fit for the next chapter, as he works toward a future in nursing.

It’s exactly the kind of outcome that makes sense when you look at the full arc of his Gould experience — not as a shift away from music, but as an expansion of identity. Brandon didn’t stop being an artist. He became someone who can carry both excellence and empathy at the same time.

As Brandon described his experience:

“Growing up, I didn’t really like school; My studies and my grades were always fine, but I just preferred to be elsewhere...and before Gould, I didn’t see myself going to college after graduation. But during my time at Gould, I really fell in love with the ski patrol program.  I learned a lot from my teachers, and I continue to learn a lot from the other ski patrollers.  I didn’t realize how hands-on it would be, and I felt like I was really making a difference for people, helping others more than I was helping myself — especially on the mountain.”
 

Brandon arrived at Gould with visible talent, and this spring, he will graduate with something even more meaningful: a sense of purpose and a real understanding of what it means to contribute to the world around him.

And that’s the quiet power of hands-on learning, the kind that lives beyond curriculum, beyond tests, beyond traditional definitions of success.  Experiential education builds more than transcripts, it builds individuals who live with purpose. 

Musician. Patroller. First responder. Future nurse.  And, most importantly, someone prepared not just for college — but for life. The best part of all, as he looks ahead to college, Brandon will keep making music, continuing to rock audiences one performance at a time, even as he pursues nursing…because that, folks, is what rockstars do.