Snowbird Institute Students

Alyssa Anderson is from Franklin, NC, right over the mountains from Snowbird. She was a SWO camper a few times and then joined the LMNT high school program in 2025. Now, she’s deep into her second year of the SWO Institute:

“I first came to Snowbird as a camper, and I loved the amount of truth that was spoken here and the community that was here, and I never really wanted to leave, so I came to work… I absolutely love the devotion to teaching and learning the Bible and the emphasis put on growing in spiritual community. I am overjoyed to be a part of an organization that aims to spread the Gospel and teach the Bible to as many people as possible.”

Garrison Barfield is from Concord, N.C., and his home church is Pitts Baptist Church. He graduated from high school in 2025 and has come to Snowbird as a camper more than a dozen times. He served on the LMNT team in 2025, and after working all three of the programs Snowbird has to offer, he knew he wanted to spend another year here. This is his second year in the Institute, and a large part of why he returned is the Institute classes. Garrison plans to earn a degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I want to enter some kind of teaching or pastoral ministry and I believe God led me to SWO Institute as a first step to grow in that direction.”

Cutter Baxter is from Mount Pleasant, N.C., and his home church is Community Church of Mount Pleasant. He came to Snowbird as a camper in 2022 and 2023, then worked on the LMNT team in 2024 after his friend Noah Hammac suggested he come work at camp. He served on summer staff in 2025 and 2026 before deciding to intern. This is his first year in the Institute. What drew Cutter in was the impact he has watched the Snowbird Institute have on the community over the past few summers, and the connection the intern class carries after a year together. He is hoping the Lord will grow his leadership this year, both spiritually and generally, and he is not yet sure what God has for him when the year is over.

Evan Boyd is from Nunnelly, Tenn. He came to Snowbird with Burns Baptist Church, which is also his home church. He attended Winter SWO as a camper in 2025 and served on summer staff in 2026. This is his first year in the Institute. Evan believes the Lord has called him into youth ministry, and he came to the Institute to be prepared for it through discipleship, ministry training, and sharing the Gospel with the students who come to camp. What drew him was the environment: everything at Snowbird points to Christ and furthers His work. He wanted to be part of a mission built on faithful exposition of the Bible and on discipling others in a community unlike any other. Evan is praying that God would grow him into the man He has called him to be and use this year to prepare him for the work ahead — whether that means Judson College (SEBTS) next year or another year at the Institute.

Kaity Burns is from Winston-Salem, N.C., and has spent the past four years in Wilmington for school. She first came to Snowbird as a camper with her wrestling team during week 9 of 2020, and she came to know the Lord that year. She returned as a camper for two more years, came back as a chaperone in 2023, and served on summer staff in 2025 and 2026. Kaity says she is here only because of the Lord’s faithfulness and kindness in her life. She came to the Institute to learn more of God and to grow in both love and knowledge, and she loves watching the Lord work in the hearts of students as well as in the people she serves alongside and is discipled by. Her prayer for this year is that God would keep healing her heart and mind, teach her to walk in His ways of love and humility, and teach her to empty herself so that she looks more like Him by the end of it. Someday she would love to work in behavior therapy with children or recreational therapy for young people fighting addiction, but she is willing to go wherever the Lord leads.

Brooks Bozeman is originally from Sulligent, Ala., where he was a member at Anchored Hope Church. He came to Snowbird as a camper from 2023 to 2025 and served on summer staff in 2026. This is his first year in the Institute. Brooks joined the Institute to learn more about the foundations of his faith and to build good work skills. This year he hopes the Lord will shape him into a better leader, one who has an impact on the coworkers he has now and the ones he will have later. He feels the Lord pointing him toward blue-collar work back home, in either electrical or HVAC.

Leo Brits is from High Point, North Carolina, and is a Snowbird Institute for the 2025-2026 year.

“I am attracted to Snowbird because I seek to serve and advance the Kingdom of God. I ended up here because I was poured into by my SWO staff members when I came here as a student for 2 years and now seek to give others the same experience. There is a lot about Snowbird that is exciting, especially the Christ-centered culture built here, but I think what compels me to serve is God.”

Aidan Conti is from Kennesaw, Ga., and his home church is Community Bible Church. He came to Snowbird as a camper in 2023 and 2024, served on the LMNT team in 2025, and joined summer staff in 2026. He is part of the 2026–27 Institute class. Aidan came to the Institute for the chance to grow as a disciple-maker and to counsel students who want to grow in the knowledge and confidence of their faith. The genuine, Christ-centered people on staff at Snowbird push him to give all of himself for the Gospel, and he is confident this ministry is shaping him into the man God has called him to be. This year he hopes to grow in his capacity to love others freely and serve them well through student ministry, so that in the years ahead he would be a tool for the local church.

Andrew Doering is from Charlotte, N.C., and his home church is Charity Baptist. He first came to Snowbird as a camper for Pure and Holy in 2022, returned for summer camp in 2022 and 2023, and came back for the Be Strong conference in the fall of 2025. He served on summer staff in 2026. This is his first year in the Institute. Andrew applied to the Institute because he believes it is what the Lord was telling him to do. This year he wants to grow in his spiritual disciplines, in his relationship with the Lord, and in his knowledge of Him. After that, he plans simply to go where God tells him to go next.

Ben Duncan is from Huntington, W.Va., and his home church is River Cities Community Church. He first came to Snowbird as a camper and joined summer staff in 2025. This is his second year in the Institute. Ben was blown away by the way the Lord moved during his first summer here, and he wanted to keep being part of this ministry. He is praying that the Lord would show him what line of study to pursue at Judson College (SEBTS).

Emie Freerksen is from Lynchburg, Va., and her home church is Hyland Heights Baptist Church. She came to Snowbird as a camper from 2020 to 2024, served on summer staff in 2026, and is now an intern. This is her first year in the Institute. A lot of the Lord’s providence brought Emie here. She was not even planning to work the summer until a month before it started, but the Lord opened the doors for her to be at Snowbird, and she loves it. She hopes the Lord creates a deeper desire for His ministry in her heart and mind this year. She thinks He may be pushing her toward another year at Snowbird, but she is not sure yet.

“His plan is greater than any of mine, and so I’m walking with open hands!”

Tyler Gebhart is from Woodstock, Ga., and his home church is Hillside Global Methodist Church. He came to Snowbird as a camper for three years, from 2020 to 2022. This is his first year in the Institute. Tyler heard about the Institute this summer, and many people encouraged him that it would be a great opportunity to grow in his faith. After weighing his options between a public university and Snowbird, he decided the Institute was the best option for him. He hopes God will direct his path and show him what he is supposed to do for a career, while growing his wisdom in His Word. Right now he thinks God is pointing him toward patience and trusting His plan for his life.

Jack Gorham is from Tallahassee, Fla., and his home church is Redemption Hill. He first came to Snowbird as a camper in 2024, returned in 2025, served on summer staff in 2026, and attended the college retreat that same year. This is his first year in the Institute. What brought him here was the community. Jack says it is unlike any other — a place to live and work alongside people who share the same goal of serving the Lord. He believes the Lord is leading him toward camp or youth ministry, and he is eager to see how God uses this year to prepare him for it.

Noah Hammac is from Concord, N.C., and his home church is Community Church of Mount Pleasant. He first came to Snowbird as a camper in 2016 and joined summer staff in 2023 on the LMNT team. He has served every summer since — 2024, 2025, and 2026 — and is now part of the 2026–27 Institute class. The Lord has grown Noah tremendously through his years at camp, and the opportunity to earn seminary credits while working and living in biblical community is one he does not take lightly. He is praying that this year would deepen his walk with Christ, both in knowing Him personally and in growing in his knowledge of Scripture, and that God would shape him into a godly man and equip him for ministry wherever He leads.

Charlotte Holtzhower is from Woodstock, Ga., and her home church is Hillside Global Methodist Church. She came to Snowbird as a camper every summer from 2021 to 2025 and served on summer staff in 2026. This is her first year in the Institute. Getting here was a long process, and she was not sure it would all work out. Charlotte spent last year as a freshman at the University of Florida and came into the summer fully intending to head back to Gainesville. As the summer went on, she felt called to surrender more to the Lord, and she longed for the genuine Christian community she found at Snowbird. She is still unsure what His plans are for her or where she is supposed to go after this year, but she knows He has a plan.

“I hope that God will grow me in ways I didn’t know possible. I know that He has a plan, and He will use this Institute year for good!”

Drew Howell is from Eastman, Ga., and his home church is Grace Baptist Church in Eastman. His dad came to Snowbird for Be Strong with their church from 2012 to 2019, and Drew wanted to come for years before he finally made it to Winter SWO in 2022, his senior year. It was three years before he came back, returning for Be Strong in September 2025, where he talked with several interns about working here. He then came as a chaperone with his church’s youth group for Winter SWO 2025. This is his first year in the Institute. Drew feels God calling him toward ministry of some form, and he sees Snowbird as the perfect place to cultivate that and grow under great teaching. He hopes to learn more about theology and practical application so he is prepared to lead others.

AJ Irby is from Huntington, W.Va., and his home church is River Cities Community Church. He has been coming to Snowbird as a camper since 2018, served on the LMNT team in 2025, and joined summer staff in 2026. This is his first year in the Institute. AJ first felt led back to Snowbird after his LMNT summer. Over the following year he kept finding himself using what he had learned at SWO, and that showed him how much serving here had shaped his life. He returned as summer staff and came away feeling called to the Institute. This year he hopes for chances to serve well outside his home church and in a new environment, and to grow in the way he builds relationships with the rest of the staff. His prayer is that this is a year of growth rather than a year of stagnation.

Abbie Judy is from Chesapeake, Va., and attends Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Her home church is Jackson Memorial Baptist Church. She came to Snowbird as a camper for five years, came back as a chaperone, and served on summer staff in 2026. This is her first year in the Institute. Abbie wanted to do the Institute because of the community here and the growth in the Lord that comes with it. Over the summer she fell in love with how God was moving at Snowbird and with His people here. She hopes to leave more equipped to be sent out into whatever environment God puts her in, to be used as a vessel for the Kingdom, no matter what that looks like.

“He has already grown me so much, and I know He will see it through to the end.”

Emma Mayhorn is from Charlotte, N.C., and her home church is Halesford Baptist. She came to Snowbird as a camper for three summers starting in 2023, then served on the LMNT team in 2026, her fourth year at camp. This is her first year in the Institute. Emma says working at Snowbird this summer gave her a strong pull to stay and be prepared and equipped for ministry, and as the Lord’s will kept unfolding through her staying and serving here, she never felt anything but His peace. She is confident He will grow her this year in more ways than she can imagine, and that every step is shaping and preparing her to follow the call He has on her life.

“I don’t know what He has in store, but I know I’m called to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, and I am going to faithfully serve the command of my Savior.”

Maggie Phelps is from Melbourne, Fla., and her home church is Eau Gallie First Baptist Church. She came to Snowbird as a camper for the first time in the summer of 2020 and loved it enough to come back every summer and winter since. She served on the LMNT team in the summer of 2025 and on summer staff in 2026, which carried her into this intern year. This is her first year in the Institute. What excites Maggie most is the discipleship, both what she receives and what she gets to give campers. Being intentionally poured into day in and day out is rare, and she says it is something she will treasure eternally. She is hoping God will grow her in her knowledge of Him and her love for Him, through the wisdom of those ahead of her and through personal spiritual disciplines. She is not sure yet what the Lord has for her after this year, but wherever she goes she intends to honor and glorify Him.

Daniel Pierce is from Woodstock, Ga., and his home church is Hillside GMC. He came to Snowbird as a camper in the summers of 2024 and 2025 and served on summer staff for the first time in 2026. This is his first year in the Institute. What brought Daniel here was the community of believers who are on fire for the Lord, the strong biblical teaching, the accountability and discipleship, and the chance to serve in ministry year-round. He is hoping God will keep using him for the good of His kingdom, working through him and in him to bring the Gospel to everyone he can. Daniel does not know where the Lord will point him a year from now, but he knows God wants him at Snowbird right now.

Solomon is from Dallas, NC and attended Snowbird as a camper for 6 years. Then, he joined the LMNT high school team for the SWO25 Summer and chose to apply for the Institute after that. 

“What excites me about Snowbird is the discipleship, accountability, and the opportunity to grow in my faith, all while being able to serve in the ministry. What compels me to serve in our mission and my role is the opportunity to serve the Lord while being able to spread the Gospel and serve others through doing that.”

Micah Roehm was born in Starke, FL, but moved to the Andrews area a few years ago. He joined the LMNT team in 2025 and then applied to the Snowbird Institute to serve as a student in 2025-2026.

“What excites me the most are the friendships I will make and how much I will grow in my knowledge and faith and maturity.”

Lily Shelton is from Albemarle, N.C. She came to Snowbird as a camper in 2023 and 2024, served on the LMNT team in 2025, and worked on summer staff in 2026. This is her first year in the Institute. God has used Lily’s summers at SWO to grow her in ways she could not have imagined. She has lived in true Christian community and had the chance to pour into many students, and she says it is encouraging to witness what God is doing through Snowbird. She is thankful those summers brought her into the Institute. This year Lily is hoping God will move her out of her comfort zone, grow her as a leader, and grow her in personal evangelism. She believes He is pointing her toward some kind of mission work.

Josiah is from Cherokee, North Carolina, and graduated from Andrews High School (Snowbird’s hometown). He never attended Snowbird as a camper, but joined our LMNT team in the summer of 2025.

“I’m excited to mature in the faith and be surrounded by people who will push me towards God. And I really think that Snowbird will help equip me better for wherever it is God is taking me.”