Gabriel Duncan – Luke Mueller – Paul Laurie
Walking Tree was founded by three childhood friends who, through extensive time abroad, have come to share a love and respect for the transformative power of travel and cultural exploration. Since our inception, Walking Tree has grown into a team of exceptional, like-minded individuals who help to share this passion during our unforgettable programs. Take a look at who we are!
Paul Laurie
Santa Clara University B.A. Marketing and International Business. During college, Paul spent a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain studying Spanish and European Commerce. Since graduating, Paul has been in constant exploration of the world around him. In 2002, Paul and two friends embarked on a three-month road trip and drove from Times Square to the Panama Canal. Paul then helped create an organic farm and ecotourism destination on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
After four months of exploring Argentina with his brother, he returned to the US, settling in New York. In the Big Apple, he has held a variety of positions on Wall Street, in the World Trade Center, backstage at New York Fashion Week, and all around the city. He has led many Walking Tree programs in Costa Rica and China and is active in all aspects of the organization’s operation. Paul has traveled to over 55 countries and has lived domestically in New York, Colorado, California, and Texas and internationally in Costa Rica, Spain, and Argentina. Paul is an avid reader, certified by the Red Cross in CPR and First Aid, qualified for MENSA, and proficient in Spanish.
Luke Mueller
Emory University B.A. Sociology and Latin American History.
While at Emory, Luke spent a semester living in Cuernevaca, Mexico, studying environmental science and gender issues. During those four months, he traveled to Guatemala and then El Salvador, touring makeshift refugee camps set up in the wake of two devastating earthquakes. His experiences and personal interactions sparked his fascination with Latin America and a commitment to community service.
After graduating from college, he joined WorldTeach, a volunteer program run by the Center for International Development at Harvard University. He was sent to a small village in southern Costa Rica to live with a local family and teach English in the public
elementary school. After his term of service ended in December of 2004, he moved to San José, Costa Rica, where he wrote for the national English language newspaper The Tico Times. He has led eight Walking Tree programs and is active in all aspects of the organization’s operation. Luke has traveled throughout Southeast Asia, China, Eastern and Western Europe, Western Africa and Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish and certified in CPR and First Aid.
Gabriel Duncan
Colby College B.A. International Relations and Government.
While at Colby, Gabriel spent a semester in Spain at the University of Salamanca, studying contemporary Spanish politics and Spanish language. On campus in Maine, he lettered for four-years on Colby’s lacrosse team, and senior year he was elected team captain and earned All-American honors. After graduating from Colby, Gabriel began to explore the world. He spent a summer commercial fishing in Alaska, a year teaching in Santiago, Chile, led programs for high school students in Spain and Costa Rica, interned at a law firm in Denver and worked at a private boarding school in China. In between these jobs, he visited many more wonderful places around the world and deepened his respect for the impact of travel. Gabriel returned to Denver to help start Walking Tree and share his enthusiasm with others. Since then, he has led eight programs in Costa Rica and Perú and is active in all aspects of the organization’s operation. Gabriel’s travels have taken him to six continents, including the Middle East and Central America, to more than 40 countries and all 50 states in the USA. He speaks Spanish fluently, is certified in CPR and First Aid, loves to explore new places, and is consistently haunted by his blind faith in Colorado sports teams.
