Ayden Dermenjian

Ayden Dermenjian joins World Class Kayak Academy this year with a background in emergency nursing, outdoor leadership and teaching, and a love of whitewater. She discovered whitewater kayaking during a school nursing placement in the Northwest Territories while earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University. It was there that her love for big water and big waves began, and she now calls the Ottawa River home.

In addition to over a decade of outdoor guiding and teaching experience, Ayden brings a strong background in pediatric emergency nursing, having worked as an emergency nurse for the past seven years—most recently at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). She has also taught wilderness medicine and whitewater rescue with Wilderness Medical Associates and Boreal River Rescue.

When not on the river, Ayden can be found creating new recipes, curled up with a good book, playing guitar, or dreaming up her next adventure. This semester, she will be teaching Environmental Science and World Literature and looks forward to combining her passion for kayaking with her love of teaching and exploring the world.