Mita Carriman’s Entrepreneurial Adventure
When asked about a defining moment during her time as a student at York Prep, Mita Carriman fondly recalls when she was a surprise contestant on the television show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. One fateful day, the self-described bookworm and geography buff entered the YP common area to discover a geography game in progress. Without hesitation, she joined in and played the trivia-style competition. To her surprise, Ms. Carriman was actually auditioning for the pilot episode of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, and she made the cut! All of her days spent reading encyclopedias for fun and learning about world cultures had prepared her for her television debut, and that very experience further fueled her passion for expanding her knowledge base on world travel! Fast forward to today—Mita Carriman is the Founder and CEO of Adventurely, which connects digital nomads to their traveling cohorts, is on a mission to build communities and educate people about sustainable and responsible world travel.
Ms. Carriman began her career as an attorney, and she acknowledges how York Prep prepared her for her professional journey. “I feel very soul-tied to York Prep,” she says. “They made it ok for students to find things that they love and supported a spectrum of different talents.”
She entered York in sixth grade, and recalls her favorite teachers Mr. Feldman, who taught middle school social studies; Mr. Yorke, who taught 12th-grade English; and Mr. Neuhaus, who taught math throughout her time at York in middle school and high school. “He (Mr. Neuhaus) was a teacher who saw that I had the capacity to do advanced math and calculus when I wasn’t feeling the most confident about it, and he challenged me,” she says. She also notes that this practice of challenging and pushing herself to tap into her talents has been invaluable as an entrepreneur.
Ms. Carriman also has a clear memory of Ronald Stewart’s York Prep letterhead that used to appear on school correspondence. His titles that followed the school letterhead seemed very distinguished to her and served as one of the first signals towards her career in law.
While writing came the most naturally to her, she started out as an English and Journalism major, with a minor in Communications at Clark University. During her third year, she realized that lawyers play a vital role in any kind of business, and she wanted to have access to that legal knowledge. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from Touro Law School. Then after 12 years of practicing law, focusing on Entertainment and Intellectual Property, she faced a pivotal moment in her life that steered her towards beginning the next chapter of her life.
The majority of digital nomads are from the United States and most of them are from New York. As a digital nomad herself, she founded Adventurely, whose tagline is “the travel club where remote work meets adventure”. Adventurely is an ecosystem of products and services that connects like-minded digital nomads, while providing them with valuable information to help them navigate each new destination. At the same time, sustainability and local impact are also two of the main tenets driving the mission of Adventurely. Members are given tools to assimilate more meaningfully and responsibly in their newly adopted headquarters. One of the ways that Adventurely carries out this mission is by hosting month long remote-work and travel programs abroad for digital nomads and remote workers to explore an inspiring destination together with activities blending work, adventure and play.
Ms. Carriman’s personal goals behind growing her company is to create connections and to continue to learn about world cultures. During her work week, she finds herself working long hours indoors. But when she logs off, she will go out to sample local cuisine or visit a local museum. Weekends are reserved for exploring! Recently, she visited Monte Alban in Oaxaca, Mexico to see the ancient ruins and pyramids. Her future travel plans include Namibia, Ghana, Nigeria, Goa, and Capo Verde Islands.
Mita Carriman has lived through a myriad of life experiences and professional achievements. When asked what advice she would give to her high school self, she offers wise words that we all can take heed in.
“You have so much time. Don’t feel pressured from society to be a mogul by age 20. Resist bowing into social pressure. Be you, be confident. There are infinite incredible experiences waiting for you beyond High School, and it’s going to be a fun experience fully growing into you. I also would give this last gem of advice to my high school self, which is from our Investor at Adventurely, Arlan Hamilton 'Be yourself so the people looking for you can find you.'"
