Stasia Van Wingerden, Instructor
BIO: Anastasia Van Wingerden, a native of Carpinteria, was born and raised on an avocado ranch in the foothills with her parents and older brother. She originally found her inspiration with the ocean and surfing when she started as a Surf Happens camper at age nine. Now twenty, she takes this love of riding waves with her to Northern California where she majors in Environmental Studies and Spanish at the University of San Francisco. In between her academic endeavors she feeds her soul with writing original music, working at the farmer’s market, surfing around the Bay Area, and exploring the stimulating city life.
TESTIMONIAL: It doesn’t seem very long ago that I arrived as a nine-year-old in pigtails at Surf Happen’s first camp ever. My brother and I became regulars—participating in summer camps, overnight camping trips, and the after school surf team. My experiences in and out of the water with Surf Happens have given me physical and mental motivation as well as a passion for nature’s most beautiful playground. A lot happens in ten years, but every summer I return to my carefree childhood days of warm sand, sunshine, and riding waves. Now as an instructor, I utilize my unforgettable childhood experiences to inspire newcomers to the surfing community, and open their eyes to the most enlivening connection with our planet’s great ocean.