TWB June 15th 2024 Experience: 2024-05-26

Teens Westward Bound 2024: TRIP 1!

Hey there, America! Get ready to meet your 2024 Trip 1 counselors and directors! We're beyond thrilled to embark on this journey across America with you this summer, soaking up every bit of what makes this country amazing. Here's a quick intro about us for now. Counting down the days until June 15th when we hit the road westward together!

LET'S DO THIS THING!!!

Grant Deaton- Program Director

HELLO AMERICA! My name is Grant Deaton and this is my 24th year traveling across this amazing country with TWB. I started going out west in 1996 and 1997 as a participant. In 2001, I began traveling as a counselor and became the tour director in 2003. It was such an honor and privilege to take on the role of Program Director in 2016. Words cannot express how excited I am about traveling out west again this summer with such an incredible group of young people. We are going to have a blast!
I have worked as a Marketing teacher for 13 years in North Carolina. I enjoy golfing, mountain biking, backpacking, as well as hanging out with my family and dogs. My wife, Kitch, and I are extremely blessed to have four wonderful little boys in our lives. Connor (13 years old), Brandon (11 years old), Samuel (9 year old) and Grayson (5 years old) bring so much joy to our family. I will miss them so much this summer.

Enjoying every minute of life is so important to me. Going out west every year with the best young people God has to offer is the best way to spend a summer in my mind. I can't wait to see you soon!!

Dallas Godbold Trip Director (TWB 2010 Trip 1)-

Site Managers

HELLO TWB!!!!! I am SO EXCITED FOR TWB 2023!!!!

I’m Dallas Godbold and I am from TWB Headquarters, Mooresville, NC! I had the amazing opportunity to go on TWB in 2010 and it forever changed my life. My first summer as a counselor was in 2016 and I quickly realized, I wanted to spend every summer on TWB. This will be my 9th trip as a staff member! To say I am excited about traveling out west with you all, is definitely an understatement!!!

I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2015 with a degree in Elementary Education! I loved Greensboro so much, that I’ve lived here ever since college. I am currently a math instructional coach at WashingtonMontessori Elementary. I support 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers with coaching, planning, modeling lessons, and pulling small groups. Previously, I had taught 4th grade math for 6 years. I am so thankful that being a teacher allows me to travel with YOU!

Some of my favorite things include….ICE CREAM, coffee, Taylor Swift and Reese’s! I love spending time with my family. I have 4 siblings, so we are always having fun in the Godbold house!! When I am not on TWB in the summer you can find me hanging at the beach or pool, or traveling somewhere new! I am also a part time travel agent and love to help others plan exciting adventures!

I hope you are ready for a special summer, I promise it will be a summer you will ALWAYS remember! We are going to have 23 days filled with sunshine, happiness, and excitement. See you on June 15th!!!!!!

Kayleigh-Scarlett Hopper (TWB 2012-2) - Cooks

Hello TWB! I'm Kayleigh-Scarlett Hopper or KS as most people call me, and I am so excited to be going out west with all of you this summer. I went on TWB in 2012 on trip 2 as a participant and this summer will be my fifth trip out west as a counselor. There are certain moments that stand out in your life and TWB is definitely one of those moments. It instilled a love of traveling, meeting new people, and seeing new places that has forever changed me.

I grew up in Cherryville, NC with my parents and two siblings. I talked about TWB so much that my brother, Aulden, decided to go west in 2016. I now reside in Raleigh and I am a first-grade teacher in Wake County. I absolutely LOVE teaching and my first graders! I graduated from NC State with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education (2018) and with a master's degree in Literacy (2019.) GO PACK!

In my free time, I love to attend Wolfpack sporting events, spend time outside especially on a beach, sing karaoke (my carpool karaoke mic will be traveling out west with us-Get ready for some Dolly Parton & Taylor Swift), and spend time with my family and friends.

Get ready for the trip of a lifetime! You will laugh, cry, sing, dance, sweat, and maybe even get a little sleep. See you June 15th!

*pro tip: pack your clothes in ziplock bags, in case your suitcase gets wet! You never know when a Grand Canyon monsoon will appear :)

Ian Objio (TWB 2019-4)

Bus Cleaners- Bus Packers

in one place for too long. I joined Trip 4 in 2019 as they took the West by storm, and I've been itching to head back out ever since! (The Deaton Stew calls to me...)

Hi everyone! I'm Ian Objio, and this will be my third time heading out west! I'm currently working on completing my Master's in International Relations, and once that chapter closes I'm headed off to Navy Officer Candidate School to begin training as a Naval Aviator! Being an Army brat, traveling has always been a love of mine, so I can assure you TWB is an experience in a league of its own! I'm so excited to show yet another amazing group every corner of our amazing country!

Mary Crawford Smallwood (TWB 2018-2)- Bloggers/Research (That's ME!!)

My name is Mary Crawford Smallwood but that's a mouthful so most people just call me MC! I’m from the small but charming town of Belmont, NC, where everyone knows your name (and your business!) Just like you guys, I was incredibly blessed to have traveled with TWB on Trip 2 in the summer of 2018. I am fortunate enough to say that I’ve never received a lick on the face from Vickie (or Ms. Beautiful they often call her!)
TWB 2024 TRIP 1 WE ARE READY FOR YOU!
Just a couple of weeks ago, I graduated from THE University of Alabama (I bet you can guess what shirt I’ll be wearing on day 2 ;)) I am Roll Tide through and through so get ready to hear me singing Dixieland Delight all day long! Following TWB (and I mean the Monday after) I will begin working a sales job in Dallas,Texas. Yeehaw to red-eye flights! I’m already apologizing to whoever will be sitting on the plane next to me (yes, after 23 days out west you will be stinky!)
In my free time, I LOVE to shop (I recommend keeping your new Lululemon outfit at home), run, and seek all the adventures that come with traveling! I am in the midst of training for my first marathon (Deaton Stew is nutritious right?!) I had the privilege of studying abroad in South Africa this time last year where I got to shark cage dive with great whites, walk with elephants (roll tide), and even bungee jump off of the tallest bridge in the world! I would still argue that nothing compares to the incredible sights and special memories that were made while traveling the USA in 2018!
This trip is a once in a lifetime experience and you guys have no idea how lucky you truly are! Soak up EVERY single second (even if you slept horrible because your friend was snoring too loudly) and embrace the joyous moments of TODAY! I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead and get to know each of you over the next 23 days! Please don’t take a single second for granted, and lets load that bus for the BEST SUMMER EVER!!! :)

Caleb Brannock (TWB 2019-3)- Dishwashers-Bus Packers-

Hey TWB Trip 1!!! My name is Caleb Brannock, or as my students know me, Coach B! I was a participant on Trip 3 in the summer of 2019 and it changed my life forever! I am from Ridgeway, Virginia but now have the pleasure to live and teach in Boone, North Carolina. I graduated from THE Appalachian State University in the fall of 2022 with a degree in Health and Physical Education with a minor in sports science and coaching. I have taught every grade K-12 and some college classes as well. I currently teach at Valle Crucis School which gives me the pleasure of teaching K-8 every day! I coach our middle school men and women's basketball teams. When I’m not at work I love sitting on the porch, eating hotdogs, eating hotdogs on the porch, playing guitar hero, and absolutely anything sports related. This will be my first trip as counselor but I am over the moon about going out west with you all! We are going to have 23 amazing days that you will NEVER forget. It is such a pleasure to call myself your counselor and I am looking forward to knowing each and every one of you!!!

Here’s a little secret: Trip 1 is ALWAYS the best :)

Staff Weekend

Meet Your Counselors

I hope you are ready for a special summer, I promise it will be a summer you will ALWAYS remember! We are going to have 23 days filled with sunshine, happiness, and excitement. See you on June 15th!!!!!!