Staff Profiles
Cameron Venne - Climbing Wall Supervisor and OD Trip Leader
Cameron is Senior at CSUSB and is a creative writing English Major, but also has a strong interest in Biology (the animals mostly). He has plans to join the Peace Corps when he graduates but in the mean time is content to go with the flow and climb as much as he can. Cameron is also an experienced world traveler, having been to 11 different countries around the world. This has led to many interesting adventures, such as his two trips to Malawi, Africa to live in remote mud hut villages and build schools. Some other notable achievements include rock climbing in France, kayaking in Mexico, and several safari experiences in South Africa. Cameron has a deep love for the outdoors and enjoys climbing, camping, traveling, road tripping, exploring, backpacking, hiking, cycling, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, slacklining and lounging in a hammock with a cold one.
Dominic Castillo - Membership Staff and Climbing Wall Staff
Dominic is a sophomore here at CSUSB majoring in Kinesiology – Exercise Science. He enjoys long walks on the beach, picking flowers, the movie WALL-E, and re-enacting Star Wars scenes. He is a member of Sigma Nu and you can see him climbing the rock wall or working out in the Rec Center!
Heather Dugas - Climbing Wall Staff
Heather Dugas is a junior at Cal State. She is majoring in Arabic and has sold her soul to the Air Force in hopes of getting her dream job – Intelligence. In her free time you can find her in one of three places; at the best church ever, at home, or in the wilderness on some crazy adventure. She enjoys painting, drawing, learning new languages, hiking, camping, and rock climbing (of course!). Her favorite movies are the classics with Danny Kaye, Donald O’Connor, Cary Grant, and Bing Crosby, any of which she would marry at the drop of a hat if they were as wonderful as they are in the movies and…well…not…dead. Details, details.
Nick Espalin - Climbing Wall Staff
What can we say about Nick? He plays every instrument known to man. He once lived out of his car for a year just to surf, but unlike most homeless people, he still had car insurance. He showed up to work one day bloody and dirty after totaling his car… that shows dedication. He can climb 5.12's and higher yet can only do one pull up. He enjoys intimately close pictures and hasn’t shaved since this picture was taken. Now his beard serves as an ecosystem for a variety of birds, including a pair of messenger pigeons that he uses to communicate with because he can’t find his phone. His last name is an ancient Spanish surname that means “One who derives great pleasure from the art of moving vertically over rock or rock like surfaces”.
Steve Gastelum - Climbing Wall Staff
Steve is a man of few words. Enough said.
Paul Jordan - Climbing Wall Staff
Rec sports voted Paul as the least likely to be embarrassed for a week at a nudist colony and most likely to be represented as our first contact between outer space aliens. We contact paul's agent on these issues and received no comment.
Andre Khuu - Climbing Wall Staff, Head Route Setter, and OD Trip Leader
Andre is the head route setter. He is constantly challenging even our strongest climbers on his test piece boulder problems and routes while at the same time setting interesting and unique problems. Whether Andre is climbing out at local spots or experimenting with new camera gear, Andre approaches life with a smile on his face and a rock in his hand.
Trisha O'neal - Climbing Wall Staff
Trish is a hard core vegetarian snowboarder who rock climbs to pass away the long summer months. She cares deeply about the enviornment and is constantly trying to recycle and conserve what she can.
Trish is also a math major with limited fluency in Spanish. She hopes to graduate in 2012 and someday teach high school math in Big Bear.
Curtis Pettygrove - Climbing Wall Staff and OD Trip Leader
Curtis loves to wake up each day with coffee in hand and the aroma filling the air. This is when he will contemplate some of his many thoughts. He is a music major. He plays the drums as he performs in some jazz shows weekly. He lives on campus and is always ready for the next adventure life throws at him. He may seem quite at first, but once you get to know him he will talk. His mind is full of ideas, some crazy, but there all good.
