Laura's Gap Semester
I had always dreamt of traveling and making a difference in my community. After completing high school, I looked for a gap year counselor who could guide me in choosing programs that would be best suited for me. Susan helped me find the perfect programs, and I am grateful for everything I learned and discovered about myself. I got to visit several places and meet new people. Last year was the best year of my life.
My first experience was with the Northwest Youth Corps in Oregon. I didn't expect it to be as challenging as it was, but it taught me many valuable lessons. I had to push myself to the limits, and I gained a great deal of discipline, which I needed. I ended up meeting some fantastic people, and we bonded over the shared experience. The views we had after hiking to the top of the mountains were wonderful. Even when some members quit, and we faced challenges, we stuck together. Overall, it was one of the hardest yet most rewarding things I have ever done.
Laura tent camped for 5 weeks in the Pacific Northwest while volunteering with Northwest Youth Conservation Corps
Laura and fellow corps members enjoying some time on the beach
Laura and fellow NWYC corps members
My second experience was with Give & Surf in Panama, and it was life-changing. I remember arriving and thinking I was in paradise. When I met my boss, I thought she was the sweetest. We ended up being three volunteers, and counting my boss, four people lived in the volunteer house. We became close, and I still talk to them and miss them so much. There was Chris from the Netherlands, Riley from the States, and Danielle from Canada. I volunteered at a preschool and a community center. It was crazy to me that we traveled from our volunteer house to the the preschool by boat, which worked like a school bus too. I remember the kids like it was yesterday. They were full of life and always smiling. I wish the experience never ended.
Headed to class in Panama
Laura with fellow volunteers in Panama
During my gap semester, I had the opportunity to participate in a program with Raleigh International in Costa Rica. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were 87 members in the program. Although initially shy, my previous experiences helped me come out of my shell. I made lots of new friends and had a great time socializing with everyone.
As I was only there for seven weeks, I only participated in two phases: trek and community. During the community phase, we built a classroom entirely from scratch, which was a lot of fun. The second phase was the trek, which was quite challenging but also incredibly rewarding. We hiked for 250 kilometers and faced numerous obstacles along the way. However, these challenges brought our group closer together and made us stronger. Finally, arriving at the beach after such a long hike was an indescribably rewarding experience, and doing it with my friends made it even better.
Trekking in Costa Rica
Mealtime and sleeping quarters while trekking in Costa Rica
