Adventurer, Wall Street price-broker…and English Teacher? Mayfield High School’s own Kari Beery has a past that is far more storied than she may let on.

“I have always been a seeker,” said Beery. “There’s always more to know, to see, to experience…My senior year of college, my friend and I had this idea to visit Alaska—because it was the farthest from Ohio we could physically drive.”

What started out as an idea quickly grew into the adventure of a lifetime.

They were young, eager, and searching for a balance between freedom and the status quo.

Immediately after their college graduation, Beery and her friend crammed everything they owned into their black 1994 Mercury Tracer, bought some snow tires, and headed for Anchorage.

“I barely said goodbye to my parents,” Beery said. “[The reality of the distance from home] didn’t really sink in until we got to Wyoming.”

However, Beery wasn’t going to let homesickness stop her.

“We got our first fully furnished apartment,” said Beery. “It was covered in those 70s mirror walls…[we had] this gross couch, and this gold-and-glass table from the 80s too.”

Ambiance aside, Beery established herself quickly in Anchorage. “I worked as an admissions officer for the University of Anchorage,” Beery said, “[and at home] we’d watch football at like 7am because of the time differences.”

Six months later, however, the light began to grow scarce with the approach of winter. “The people were really kind…and everything there reminded you of how humbling nature is. But I was really out of my element,” Beery said.

Within six months of moving to Alaska, Beery and her friend moved down to Portland, Oregon.

Beery said Portland “was a respectful place. People there were so innovative and fun and creative—there was this whole edge of being eco-conscious, too.”

Beery lived in Portland for a few years, working as a Montessori teacher for preschool and kindergarten. However, opportunity called when Beery’s friend found a job with Christie’s Auction House—one of the most prominent art auctioneers in New York City.

“There are only certain moments in your life when you are free from responsibility,” Beery said. Embracing her freedom, she moved with her friend to the heart of NYC.

“At this point,” Beery said, “I got a job on Wall Street, working a job on compliance, fixing commissions—it was very cutthroat, [and the] people were treated as disposable.”

However, there was a vitality and excitement to the city as well, beyond the workplace. “You could work all day and play all night,” Beery said of NYC, “and you could rub shoulders with all sorts of people.”

Two years of New York and four more of Portland later, Beery ended her journey and returned to Ohio to be with her family.

So what does Beery have to say to students determined to escape their hometowns?  “I would encourage kids to travel,” she said. “It fosters independence, open-mindedness, relationships, harmony, and purpose.”

However, adventures aren’t simple undertakings. According to Beery, “Be ready for naysayers and people are comfortable in the traditional journey in life. Not because they will discourage you, but because they will not be the ones to help you look deeper. Life is about experiencing new things and remembering that there is always an authentic way to reach your goal. Just be brave enough to be yourself.”