Teens Westward Bound 2026: TRIP 1!
LET'S DO THIS THING!!!
Grant Deaton- Program Director
HELLO AMERICA! My name is Grant Deaton and this is my 26th 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 (15 years old), Brandon (13 years old), Samuel (11 year old) and Grayson (7 years old) bring so much joy to our family. I will miss them so much this summer.
HELLO TWB!!!!! I am SO EXCITED FOR TWB 2026!!!!
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 11th 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 Washington Elementary in Greensboro. I support kindergarten -fifth 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 each summer!
Some of my favorite things include ... .ICE CREAM, coffee, Taylor Swift, Disney, ( I can't wait for Disneyland!!!!) and Reese’s! I also love to travel and visit as many new places each year. I love traveling so much, I became a part time travel agent to help others take those dream trips!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 by the pool. 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 13th!!!!!!
Kayleigh-Scarlett Hopper (TWB 2012-2) - Dishwashers
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 7th 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 13th! pro tip: pack your clothes in ziplock bags, in case your suitcase gets wet! You never know when a Grand Canyon monsoon will appear :)
Mackenzie Stiles (TWB 2018-3) - Bloggers
Hey everyone, my name is Makenzi Stiles, and I am from Gastonia, NC! In 2018, I had such a great time on TWB Trip 3. This will be my first year as a counselor, and I am SO excited for you all to see the amazing sights and create your own memories that will last a lifetime! In 2021, I moved to Charleston, SC, to attend the College of Charleston, where I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. I still live in Charleston with my sister and two golden doodles (Sadie Jane and Sullivan) and I am currently wrapping up my first year as a fifth-grade math teacher! In my free time, I like to go to the pool, read, try new restaurants, and I recently rediscovered my love for Just Dance. I am counting down the days until I get to meet you and we load up the buses and vans to head out west! Enjoy every moment of the trip, talk to EVERYONE (you might end up meeting your best friend), and try not to fall asleep on the drives (there will be pictures of you asleep on the blog for everyone to see)! I can't wait to see you all soon!!!! P.S. I will ABSOLUTELY show you pictures of my dogs!! :)
Will Hammond (TWB 2021-1) Bus Cleaners/ Bus Packers-
Hey guys! My name is Will Hammond from Charlotte, NC, and this will be my first summer as a counselor. I couldn’t be more excited to get back on the road and lead students on a trip that meant so much to me. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a degree in Biology in May of 2025 (GO HEELS), and have been working locally in Mooresville and traveling before beginning my PhD in Psychology at UC San Diego in the fall.
TWB 2021 kicked off a traveling domino effect in my life, leading me to a ton of adventures around the world, including experiences as a great white shark cage-diving technician in South Africa, a camp counselor in Spain, and a wildlife conservation technician in Hawaii. I’m super happy to talk about any of my experiences, and I’m so excited to see a new group get to go on a trip that was so influential for me.
If anyone wants to hear the things I could talk about for hours, they should mention biology, backpacking, the NHL, SCUBA diving, disc golf, the movie Cars, or playing any kind of instrument. Can’t WAIT to meet you guys, and I’m so excited for you all to see some of the most beautiful places in America!!!
Caleb Brannock (TWB 2019-3)- Cooks-
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 so lucky that Grant is keeping me around for my third summer as a counselor! 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, reading, and absolutely anything sports related. 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!!!
