Jared Krauss

Background

About Jared Krauss

I've been a bit of a rogue, a wanderer, a free spirit. Here's a quick run down of the various (mis)adventures in life up to now. At 13 I spent 6 weeks in Panama, on a service trip, where half that time was spent in the middle of the mountains and jungle, helping to carve steps into the hill, carry logs up from the forest floor for new houses, and generally just being helpful. It was also my first experience with a squat toilet. Then at 19, I organized twelve students, from undergrads to medical students, to raise nearly to fund a service trip to Haiti, after the earthquake and flooding. We partnered with a grassroots organization based out of Les Cayes. This network became self-sustaining for another 3 years. At 21 I dropped out of my BA program to go wander around Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, just after the Egyptian Revolution. I somehow managed to lose my wallet, find a farm in the Sinai to work at where I set up their composting, and planted date palm trees. I also managed to end up in a Jordanian court, where I had to testify against a guy who'd attempted violence and more against myself and my friends. Thankfully my Arabic was pretty good back then. A25 I moved from Iowa to Washington State, and spent the summer climbing and hiking the cascades, couch surfing, working at a random Mexican restaurant, before I bought a bike off Craigslist, strapped all my climbing and camping gear on it and went touring around Oregon. Eventually I tired of being poor and homeless, got a job at 4* hotel in Portland as a valet, and worked until I had enough money to fly back to Iowa. At 27 I helped found the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition, which is probably the single most impactful thing I've done in my life, and for which I am extremely proud. I recruited my sister into the organization, and now, 6 years on, she is the Executive Director, and has grown the organization to nearly half a million dollars per year budget, with support from various federal agencies, as well as the Elton John Foundation and the Clinton Foundation. At 28 I took a leap of faith, moved to London, and embarked on an MA Photography. I graduated just as Covid-19 took off, in January of 2020. I have freelanced since then, and since March of 2021 I've worked at Kingston University. Now, I'm ready for the next phase in my life. Europe, preferably Switzerland. It's time to learn another language, another culture, to be near mountains again. If you'd like to see some of my photography, check