Remy Oktay
Founder and CEO

“We want people to hopefully see new value in the outdoors and come to love it in new ways. We hope that the fact that this was a community project now has helped students feel a sense of ownership and respect both for the swings and the trees that support them. We protect what we love and feel a connection to, and we hoped when planning this work that this would help students feel a new desire to protect trees.

My hope is that BranchOut challenges people’s idea of social norms of what is and is not acceptable to adults. Similar to climbing trees, I hope that everyone on campus is reminded that being a kid is a good thing — “growing up is optional, growing old is mandatory.”

I hope people are inspired to challenge themselves, trust new ideas, and expand their comfort zone in new ways.”