Alumni in Action | Grad’s Artwork Benefits

ALUMNI IN ACTION Grad’s Artwork Benefits NOLS’ DE&I Efforts

By Anne McGowan Development Communications Coordinator

Alina Drufovka has advice for anyone seeking opportunities. Ask and then ask again.

Alina is an artist, thru-hiker, former NOLS Teton Valley Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, and a three-time NOLS grad. She is also the person whose artwork will grace a Kula Cloth, the antimicrobial cloth designed for anyone who squats when they pee. And proceeds from the sale of the cloths with her design on it will be donated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts at NOLS.

Alina was a fan of Kula Cloths—whose founder, Anastasia Allison, is also a NOLS grad—long before she made art for the company. It was while thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail that she first discovered the cloth and became a convert.

“They’ve truly revolutionized peeing in the woods for a lot of backpackers,” she said. When she learned the company was holding a design competition, but that she’d missed the deadline for entries, Alina wasn’t discouraged.

“I really love their mission and that they are a female-run gear company, so I reached out anyways,” she said. “The worst anyone can say is no, and a no to me just means ask again when you’re more established. Before I knew it, I was designing a Kula Cloth!”

Combining her love of self-expression and outdoors isn’t new. As a NOLS Fellow—a participant in a three-monthlong mentorship program that provides a pathway for self-identified People of Color to become NOLS field instructors— Alina created materials about historical examples of diversity in the outdoors, and posted them around the NOLS Teton Valley campus during her fellowship there. “It was my hope that when students from underrepresented groups landed at the branch, they could see themselves in the stories I posted,” she said.

Similarly, Alina hopes people see themselves in her art and reflect on how their own journeys in nature have molded them physically and spiritually. The paintings she calls “The Silhouette Series,” including her Kula Cloth design, “are meant to contain all the memories and splendor of hiking thousands of miles within a single backpacker’s form.”

Alina’s Kula Cloth is part of the company’s philanthropic “Kula for a Cause” program, which is how a portion of sales supports NOLS DE&I efforts.

“I chose NOLS as the recipient since NOLS played a pivotal role in my confidence in the outdoors,” Alina said. “This confidence has trickled down to so many facets of my life. While I’m on-trail, I may not see many other Latina women or people who look like me, but NOLS gave me the skills so I always feel like I belong in any outdoor setting.”

She also admires that NOLS addressed diversity in the outdoors as a concern before, as she put it, “it was a trending hashtag.”

“That’s exactly why I picked NOLS as the recipient for Kula for a Cause,” Alina said. “It’s my hope that the funds from my Kula can help continue this Fellowship and other DE&I initiatives. My NOLS course was one of the most impactful experiences of my life, and I love the idea of helping NOLS achieve their strategic vision of having more students and staff of color.”

Anne McGowan grew up camping and hiking with her family in Pennsylvania. She followed her love of words and books to a career in writing.