The Experiment in International Living (EIL) really had a big impact
on me. I took a trip to China for four weeks and it was so
amazing! When I first got to Los Angeles, I was a little scared to meet
my group because they were all from different states and I was worried that I
would not get along with the other students. My prediction was way off because
my group got along very well and there weren't any problems.
When I first met my group, it was weird talking to them because they
all said that I sounded like I was from the South because I had a southern accent (which
I had never heard before!). Before we went off to live with our host families, I
got to know my group a little more and I learned that we all had something
unique about us.
One thing that stuck out to me was the long train ride from city to
city. The first train ride was 16 hours and all of that time on the train brought
the group even closer together, which was a wonderful thing.
After the train ride from Beijing to Xian, we went our
separate ways and lived with our urban host families for six days. It turned out to
be a great experience because I got to share my family with another student in
my group. We each had our own rooms and our sisters were very nice to us.
My host mother was great cook and she always asked what we wanted to
eat and my sister always made sure that I had enough food to eat. I had a great
time with my host family and I was a little sad to leave them.
When we arrived to our rural home stay, there were fire crackers going
off and the people were so excited to see us! I loved the rural home stay
because our group became close to one another. We saw each other every day and
spent time over each others houses.
One of the last activities that we did before we went home was
to go swimming in a cave with mud in it. It was so much fun because I was not used to
swimming in mud it was so cold and thick. After swimming in mud, we rinsed off
and got in a hot spring that was in the cave –
talk about relaxing!
When the last day in China finally came and we went back to America, I was a little sad because I had
such a great time in China. But, I also missed my family and
friends back in DC and couldn’t wait to tell them about my trip. China was a lot of fun and I would
definitely
come back to visit!
Written by Eriel Holloway
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Written by Eriel Holloway
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This summer I went to Huntsville, Alabama to attend Space Camp. This wonderful opportunity was given to me and two other students by
a generous law firm called Fish & Richardson. Fish and Richardson provides
scholarships to students who want to learn about outer space and the world
outside of where they live. I really appreciate the fact that I received a scholarship which covered my tuition,
my round-trip flight and a space suit!
When I got to Space Camp, I immediately fit
in because everybody was friendly. During camp, I made more than 30 new
friends and had the privilege to learn from two very supportive adults who taught me
everything I now know about space. One thing that I learned was that America wasn’t the 1st country
to go into outer space; it was actually Russia.
Going to Space Camp was an opportunity of a lifetime and I thank Fish & Richardson and SEED for making this opportunity possible.
Written by Maryam Hassan
***********************************
Written by Maryam Hassan
***********************************
For two weeks this summer, I
participated in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. On June 26, I awoke
with the sun and looked forward to my trip. However, after going though several
doors and metal detectors and finally boarding the plane to Columbus, I
realized that the difference between getting to Gambier, OH (via Columbus) and
staying in DC meant conquering what had become one of my greatest fears:
flying.
After sitting through major turbulence in a plane that never quite
seemed to level out, it all became worth it once I was in the clouds. Once I
was in the clouds, there was no more fear or nervousness. I didn’t know it then,
but I would later come to realize that this plane was taking me away from a
nightmare and
towards a greater reality.
towards a greater reality.
After an hour and a half plane ride, I arrived at Kenyon, a quaint little campus intertwined in the city
of Gambier. As my feet grazed the pavement,
I began to look around and soon realized that my time at Kenyon mirrored my
life at SEED. Once again, I was a stranger among strangers which would have
been a bad thing except for three reasons: I was in a place where the people
were pleasant, where drama never seemed to reach extreme heights, and I was in
a place where
I was valued and respected.
I was valued and respected.
Participating in The Young
Writers Workshop gave me confidence in my writing and in myself. The Workshop submerged me in the world that I knew existed, but could never visit.
The Workshop gave me a first hand view of college life and gave
me something to look forward to in college: the chance to exist in a space
among strangers and flourish.
By participating in The Kenyon Review Young
Writers Workshop , I was able to explore my writing and that of others. I am
truly humbled, and enjoyed meeting the incredible Jerks of Ascension Room 114, a
group of incredibly talented, wonderful people. Participating in The Kenyon
Review Young Writers Workshop is an experience that I am grateful for and
will always remember.
Written by Aliaih Peterson
will always remember.
Written by Aliaih Peterson
*********************************
It was an honor to be chosen to participate in the North Carolina Outward Bound (NCOB) program. This year, the NCOB anthem really connected with me when things got difficult. There were three moments that
changed my perspective on life: One was when I was in SOLO. During this time I
was by myself for 3 days and
all I had to do was rest and think.
all I had to do was rest and think.
During this time, I studied over my life and the things I’ve done, wondering if I could
have done things differently or was my fate already pre-destined. I wrote songs
about the experience and missing the people that I thought I cared for the
most. I looked over the people that I met over my time at NCOB and how they
compared to the people back home. I noticed that the people at NCOB felt more
like a family and the people at home are the people that make me feel more
alone. I’ve never been able to have
real fun like when I was at NCOB.
real fun like when I was at NCOB.
Maybe
it’s the
decreased amount of consumed meats or the availability to smell real
“fresh air“ within the smell of yourself but whatever the reason, I felt
like I was going through what life really was. The days started to slow
down and every minute seemed like an hour. I felt like
I was trying to live in survival mode. The fasting for three days helped
me
think too.
The second experience that offered me clarity was when I was feeling kind of low for two
days and my counselor Jess told me a story. She told me a story about why there
is no right thing to do or
wrong consequence, just outcomes.
wrong consequence, just outcomes.
During this summer at
NCOB, I pretty much learned that there is no giving up. You don’t have to
give up when you truly believe that you can’t take any more of what is getting
thrown your way. If you can find something to occupy you’re mind
from thinking in the negative then you will be able to persevere through
whatever it is that is troubling you.
I also learned that more of your “friends” that you meet from far
away are more likely to stay in your life and be real friends and more
compassionate then the ones at home. You could find a home in people that you
never could find at home. I still talk to some of my NCOB brothers even if I'm flying
by just to say “hey.”
At the end of the NCOB course you feel like you learned
skills that you can apply in the future but you have to remind yourself that
you can’t go back to the same ways or things that
you used to do. You have to remind yourself that you have grown. I
cannot thank the NCOB team for another opportunity to
finish the NCOB 21 day course.
Written by Travis Ferrell
finish the NCOB 21 day course.
Written by Travis Ferrell
********************************
Signing up for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was an experience and I must say, it was kind
of hard. I didn’t want to sign up because I didn’t think I was going to get the
scholarship. But then I wanted the experience, exposure and the feeling of
being independent. When I received the letter saying I was accepted to attend,
I jumped for joy! But I was still unsure about attending because I would miss
several basketball tournaments over the summer. Even though I didn’t have to pack
too many items,
I still ended up over packing.
I still ended up over packing.
The first day I arrived in Alaska I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast.
The next morning, a bus transported me and a few other kids from the Bed and
Breakfast to a farm. At the farm, we meet up with everybody and introduced
ourselves. We then got together to ration out our food – for the next month!
Later that day, we learned how to set up a tent and pack a backpack. These
lessons were extremely helpful as we hiked about 8-12 hours each day.
During the trip, I learned:
This experience has taught me that there’s a major difference in the necessities you need to survive in life and necessities you don’t need but choose to have in order to survive in life. Words really can’t explain the adventures, experience or the challenges you will endure and overcome doing this trip. You will have to go there to actually know what the experience is like.
- A lot about myself;
- How to perform CPR;
- How to manage risk;
- How to be a better leader;
- How to work effectively as a team;
- About group dynamics; and most importantly
- How to survive in a different environment.
This experience has taught me that there’s a major difference in the necessities you need to survive in life and necessities you don’t need but choose to have in order to survive in life. Words really can’t explain the adventures, experience or the challenges you will endure and overcome doing this trip. You will have to go there to actually know what the experience is like.
Making it through the exhibition has made me
feel a lot more confident, successful, and accomplished. Some challenges I had
while on this exhibition were transferring environments, life styles and my
daily routines. But, I had a great time and appreciate the opportunity.
Written by Blessing Hayes
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When I first got to the Farm and Wilderness camp, it seemed
like a regular, normal outdoor camp. But, once I got settled in and met all of
my cabin mates and my counselors, I had a feeling that I was going to have a
lot of fun. One of the first things that I had to do was take a swim test and
learn about cows, goats, chickens, roosters and pigs. I also got to build
benches using saws, sledge hammers, shovels and nails.
During camp, we received outdoor
living training, including how to survive living in the outdoors and knowing
which items you would need to survive while living outdoors. As part of the
outdoor training, the counselors described the different overnight trips and I
selected the trip to Silver Lake.
It took two hours to hike to Silver Lake but the trip was worth it! We
went swimming on the beach, hiking and rock climbing. One rock was 70 feet high
and while I only made it 75% of the way to the top, I had fun trying to climb
the rock.
During the last week of camp, we
had a spy night where the spies had to get a message past the campers who were
on patrol. The counselors also showed us how to prepare food from the farm to
the plate. On one of the last nights, we had a banquet
and a surprise dance party!
and a surprise dance party!
I learned so much at Farm and Wilderness! I learned about nature, how to
survive in the wilderness, how to be a better swimmer and I also learned about
different cultures. Farm and Wilderness helped me to become a better person and
I can’t thank the Farm and Wilderness staff enough for teaching me things that
I did not think that I was capable of accomplishing. I hope to have the
opportunity to go back to
Farm and Wilderness next year!
Written by Christopher Smith
Farm and Wilderness next year!
Written by Christopher Smith
*******************************
Farm and Wilderness is located in Vermont. To me, Farm and Wilderness is
the best camp in the world! We flew from DC to New Hampshire and when we arrived at camp, I
was confused but I quickly started to get comfortable and make friends.
At camp, I made friends instantly!
Some of my friends were Donnel, Theo, Bello, Aazir, Tim, Eli and my two
counselors were Todner and Wolverine. A couple of days into camp, we all went
on a camping trip and we socialized more.
We also went on longer trips and
got to know people outside of our cabin. The counselors often said that we
should live in the moment – and they were right. When it was time to leave
camp, I was crying because I really wanted to stay and wished that I had
“lived” in more moments. But, I had a lot of fun at camp and hope to go again
next summer!
Written by Gregory Silvers
Written by Gregory Silvers
********************************
This summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Spain as part of the Experiment in International Living (EIL) program. The experience is something that
I will never forget. In the beginning of the trip, I was kind of homesick and I
felt like I was the only one who wasn’t really fluent in Spanish. However, after
the first couple of days I started to just relax and enjoy the experience.
I learned several new things,
including that the sun doesn’t set until 9pm and that there is a 6 hour time
difference between Spain and Washington, DC. In Spain, they have a -1 and -2 floor –
something that you will never see in the United States. Their bathrooms and the style of
their toilets were different as well. It took a while to get used to but it was
kind of cool. One of the first things that we did when we arrived in Madrid was to visit the Plaza Mayor, take
pictures and participate in a mini scavenger hunt.
We tasted a lot of new foods and surprisingly,
I enjoyed most of them. I’m proud of myself for not just looking but being
willing to try something new. We went to tapas bars and visited Toledo which was very beautiful. Before
we went off to Valencia to stay with our host families,
we visited the Real Madrid’s soccer stadium. The stadium was very nice and I
wish we were able to actually see them play.
One of the most exciting moments
was meeting our host families. I had two host sisters who were very nice and they also helped me with some of my Spanish. We
went on group trips and the best trips in my opinion were the Arts and Science
museum and the aquarium.
Those trips stuck out to me the
most and I would recommend these places to anyone who goes to Valencia. I also liked the trip when we
went to taste Horchata. I wasn’t a big fan of Horchata but it was still a good
experience and I tried something new. Barcelona was great and I wish we could
have spent more time there.
Overall, my trip to Spain was amazing! I am grateful for
this experience and hope to try something like this again very soon.
Written by Roberta Sinclair
Written by Roberta Sinclair
****************************
The Experiment in International Living's Mexico cooking program was amazing! It exceeded every one of my expectations and the trip was truly a
life changing experience. The best
parts of my Mexico cooking experience
were my group members, group leader and the intense schedule.
My Mexico cooking experience
was great. I took a one week cooking course at the University of Puebla. My cooking
Instructor was Chef Genarado. He did not take us step-by-step through cooking
any meals; he simply handed us a packet of recipes and explained to us in Spanish and English what we
were going to be cooking that day.
Me and my group
really relied on each other and our cooking skills grew as group. After I
graduated my cooking class in Puebla, we went to Hidalgo where we stayed on a
ranch and prepared our own lunch and dinner. On our last day on the
ranch, we had an intense Iron Chef competition where we were split into two
groups. Of course my group won! Overall the food was great but I also had to be
open-minded to some things that didn't look or sound too appetizing - like fried
worms and fried crickets. I still have recipe books and plan to continue
preparing Mexican dishes at home.
One of the best parts
of my Mexico cooking experience
was my group. My group was the best! We were all optimists except one person
but eventually, he came around. All of us put forth our best effort to get to
know one another. Most of us were way out of our comfort zone, including one
girl who came from a predominately white town in Vermont and was the only Caucasian
in our group. I could tell that she was a great person but was still adjusting
to being out of her comfort zone. I made a point to talk with her and by the
end of the program, we ended up being very close. In fact, I grew very close to
every one of my group members and by the end of the program, we were a family.
Another part of my Mexico cooking experience that
I really enjoyed was my group leader. I believe that we had the best group
leader in the world. Matt Gordon made every boring church visit manageable, at least
for me. I know religion is a big part of the Mexican culture but once I saw
ten churches I grew bored of the church visits. Matt was not too strict on us
and once we gained his trust he gave us even more freedom. Matt also kept the
group together.
After the home stay, we stayed at Universidad de las Americas Puebla (UDLAP) and the boys stayed in
one dorm and the girls stayed in another dorm. The girls grew very close and the
boys grew very close. After a while the boys got annoyed with the girls and
vice versa. Just when we were ready to snap each others necks, Matt reminded us
of how close we were with each other and that we were beginning to pick each other
apart. He told us whenever we get irritated with one another to just look at
the good in each other. This is when we truly became a family.
The intense schedule
was another one of my favorite parts of the Mexico cooking experience. Since
I don’t know when I will go back to Mexico, I’m glad that we productively
used every minute of every day of the experiment. We started in Mexico City and went south to Oaxaca, to Puebla, to Hidalgo, to Veracruz and then back to Mexico City. I was mad and glad
that the home stay was only one week. I was mad because I loved my host family
and the town of Oaxaca but I was glad
because we got to visit so many other places in Mexico.
I really think that the Mexico cooking experiment should
be a five week program and the extra week should go towards the home stay.
Every day of my Mexico experiment was worth
remembering and that is why I wrote in a journal. I encourage all future
experimenters to also write in a journal during their experience.
The best parts of my Mexico cooking experience
were definitely my group members, group leader and the intense schedule. What
started as a group of kids thrown together grew into a family. The person
responsible for my amazing, life-changing experience in Mexico is my group leader,
Matt. The Mexico Cooking program exceeded all of my expectations in
every way. While Mexico was not one of my top
selections, my group members and I had a wonderful time!
Written by Chris Jones
Written by Chris Jones
******************************
When I was a sophomore, I applied to The Island School in Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas. In the beginning I thought I was not going to get accepted because I had a few struggles that year. In fact, it was during my sophomore year that I strongly considered leaving SEED Public Charter School and I threw away my Island School application. However, I decided that SEED was the best place for me and as fate would have it, I completed and submitted the last remaining application.
Over the next few months, I nervously waited for a letter from The Island School to see if I got denied or accepted into their program. I kept telling myself that I was going and one week when I went home, there was a letter from The Island School waiting for me! Nervously, I opened the letter and it said, “Congratulations, you have been accepted to the Spring 2011 Semester program at the Island School!” I now had an opportunity to study abroad and see a different world outside of SEED and
Washington, DC.
Washington, DC.
For me, the Island School was an experience of a lifetime. I had never lived away from home for four months and had never traveled as far away as the Caribbean. My first day at The Island School was a little shaky because I arrived a day late and I thought I missed out on the entire experience. My mind was racing and I wondered if my classmates would like me or acknowledge that I was part of the semester program. All of those worries disappeared as soon as my roommate Aidan spoke to me and from that point forward, everyone spoke to me and treated me like I was part of the community.
While I thought that life would be difficult after arriving to The Island School a day late, I felt even worse when I found out that I couldn’t swim as well as I thought I could. Sure enough, those feelings about not being a part of the community began to resurface. To my relief, The Island School community was extremely supportive of me learning how to swim and they practiced with me and showed me many techniques that I will always remember and cherish. Dave Burnham, my swim coach and friend believed in me so much during my half-marathon swim in May. I swam four miles and he swam with me. The half-marathon started off rough but I was able to finish in 3 hours and 45 minutes! Completing the half-marathon was definitely one of the greatest accomplishments of my semester.
I recommend The Island School not only because is it located in the Bahamas, but the atmosphere is so warm and welcoming and it is definitely paradise. I went to The Island School scared and afraid to leave DC but once I arrived, I took on the different challenges like running, swimming, scuba diving, being alone on the beach for 48 hours, and making new friends. All those components made my semester wonderful and I truly encourage people to apply to The Island School and experience the beautiful island and people for themselves.
Written by Marcus Murphy
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Future Civics Leaders was a program that I signed up for but I did not have a strong interest towards the program. Through the three long adventured packed days at George Washington University and other areas in the nation’s capital, my interest evolved. I began to gain a better understanding of politics on a local and national level.
In a group of five future leaders counseled by a strong adult, we wrote speeches and presented them. We made posters for our selected candidate. We came up with slogans and chants. The election simulation was a fun and eye opening process. We were taught how to do many things by specialists. We met many professional speech writers, lobbyists, advertisers, and others who helped us throughout the election process.
While we had worked hard over the three days, we also had a lot of down and chill time. We visited many places and I was even able to listen to a formal debate about the national debt. It was very interesting. We visited many historical landmarks and just had a good bonding time. We even made a parody video about democracy to Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You” song. The counselors were supportive and fun.
After going through this program, I realized that I don’t want to run for office or be an elected official in the future. But it made me want to know a whole lot more about what goes on in our politics today. I had fun and would recommend this program to anybody; even if you don’t plan on being President one day, the experience itself is great!
Written by LaDonna Carney
*********************************
The opportunity to attend the Adventures of the Mind program was wonderful! I am blessed to be one of 164 students to attend this program. The program happens every two years and it will be more interesting as the program evolves. The people there were amazing and they came from all over the United States of America.
When I first arrived in Montana; I was shocked. Missoula, Montana is such a quiet place. The atmosphere is very different from Washington, DC. Everything in Montana is much more quiet & calm. However, that did not bother me. The scenery was breath-taking and I was at a loss for words.
During the day we would have sessions in a college auditorium. While I did not like sitting in the chairs for a long time, the sessions were very interesting and it prepared me for my large college classes. The speakers were very interesting and none of them were alike. Each of the speakers had their own distinct personality. A lot of the speakers were science majors, such as a Nobel Laureate who created the Big Bang Theory, or the four other Nobel Laureates who were in our presence. I did not get a chance to speak to all of them but I was honored and blessed to speak to one of them in person. I also had the chance to talk to one of the co-founders of Intelius and the wife of Louis L'Amour at dinner. The people were there for the youth and wanted to get to know you.
The experience was great! I made new friends from New York, Houston, New Jersey, California, Washington, DC and plenty of other cities in the United States. I highly recommend this to other high school students in 2013. The experience will not be boring because there was a party EVERY night and it will either be in Atlanta or L.A. I just wished the program was a week long because I would love to get to know all of the adults and students there. However, we have a Facebook group and I can keep up with them there. If I could do this program again, I definitely would!
Written by Anscia Brown
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Today was great…..it was the most adventurous day of the trip as we visited one of the seven natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls! This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The water clashing amongst the rocks was so amazing. As Nadja screamed “Oh my God!” I ran across the bridge with Jeremy and we got completely soaked. After we got over the bridge, we ventured through the many points of Victoria Falls. I took several pictures of rainbows in the mist and saw bungee jumpers. As I was crossing back to the dry side, I actually opened my eyes. This bridge is so dangerous, but beautiful at the same time.
After viewing the majesty of the falls, most of the LSZ group hiked down the side of Victoria Falls. Although the hike was hard (and even harder with wet clothes), we made it down and it was completely worth it. It was like a whirlpool of beauty…just the force of the water pushing into one cycling spot was utterly mind boggling. I can’t believe that something this beautiful could exist in nature. As we were coming up, we were greeted by tons of baboons. At the top, we went to the Victoria Falls market which was utterly ridiculous. The venders were very pushy with their prices.
Although Victoria Falls was amazing, the African safari was just as amazing.
Although Victoria Falls was amazing, the African safari was just as amazing.
On safari we saw an elephant, zebras, giraffes, impalas, wildebeests, and so much more.
Just when the Safari was getting a little bit dry, we stopped at this nice picnic area, saw two great big hippos, and took a great photo montage.
After all of that we ended our day at this place called the Art Cafe. This place had a lot of atmosphere and the nicest Canadian couple owned it. Although the food was awful (the meat was meatless), the characters there were very colorful because there was a reggae concert called “Yes Africa” taking place.
This was the most adventurous day of the trip, and we did so much. I am looking forward to the rest of the trip and hopefully Chikumbuso will be good. I am anxious because I don’t want to get too personal with the kids. The Malambu kids were really great and honestly life changing. They taught me so much about how serious education is and how you should not take it for granted. Although I know what I am saying sounds very cliché, having this experience has been life changing. I know if I was in that situation, I would not be able to focus on my education like these kids did. They are very respectful and that respect will get them far. One thing that many Americans lack is respect. These kids are so grateful and they are special because the gratefulness is genuine.
But now I am going on a tangent and need to get back on point. Today was the most adventurous day of the entire trip. It was great.
PS: I just met this group 8 days ago and I already feel like I have known them for years. I love these guys. Jeremy is really awesome and humorous, Gaby is a great leader and really pretty, and everybody is just great. I am having a great trip.
Written by Bryon Ford
***************************************
We finally made it to Zambia after spending over 24 hours in multiple airports and on multiple planes. On the first flight, I sat by Bryon and this Ethiopian man, Mele. It was nice talking to him at first but then he never stopped. And while we had a talkative person, Kylie and Sam had a rude lady. Kylie said that lady spilled her drink on her and told her “you’ll live,” then she used her napkin to wipe her mouth instead of giving it to Kylie. Kylie ended up having to ask me for a napkin.
Nadja and I had a horrible experience trying to use the restrooms in the airport at Addis Ababa. The bathroom was all the way on the other side of the building. In addition to that the line was extremely long because the bathroom only had three stalls.
Finally we both made it to a stall and noticed too late that NEITHER OF OUR STALLS HAD TOILET PAPER! We both asked someone to give us some toilet paper, and a lady gives us one travel size tissue. We both said thank you went to go wash our hands with the little bit of soap the bathroom had.
After all of that we settled into Juls Guesthouse around 5:00pm. The boys played with footballs and soccer balls outside while the girls talked inside. Our first dinner was good. The ladies who work at the guesthouse prepared it for us. We had rice, chicken, beef, and vegetables. We were told that we should be drinking 2 liters of water a day. We also wrote in our journals today and talked about our do’s and don’ts for riding on planes. Tomorrow we will be going to the market and some of us will be going grocery shopping.
Written by: Brittney Bowles
**********************************
I recently attended a program called the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) program that was held at George Washington University in Washington, DC. This program included approximately 40 sophomores who were chosen by HOBY. I initially thought that this three day program was going to be experienced leaders talking about the fundamentals of what being a leader is all about...I was wrong.
This program has done much more; it changed my perspective on life! Not only did it teach me what it means to become a leader, it also taught me why it is important to become a leader and that every person has a purpose in life. HOBY has let me come out of my comfort zone through all of their intriguing and exceptionally adrenaline raising activities and chants. This experience has allowed me to analyze myself and led me to discover who I am and how I can make a positive impact on the people in this world.
I learned through the different panelists who spoke with us and the community service projects that we participated in that the little things people do count in ways you would not expect. One of the community service activities we did was Race for the Cure. This is where thousands of men and women run for several miles to help raise money and support the efforts to find a cure for breast cancer.
After the event was over, we helped take down all the tables, chairs and table cloths that were surrounding the National Mall. This job may sound simple but it was also very exhausting. There must have been hundreds of tables and chairs throughout the National Mall. But, HOBY made a lot of people’s jobs much easier.
Another community service activity we did was with Martha’s Table. There, HOBY volunteers recorded their voice while reading a children’s book so that sick kids in the hospital can feel more comfortable. We also did much, much more!
After the HOBY program is over, you are and always will be a part of HOBY and therefore, you get special privileges! HOBY helps students get community service hours by giving alumni a list of things that we can do throughout the year that equals up to 100 community service hours!
Being a HOBY alumnus also gives you a chance to meet other HOBY alumni throughout the world; it’s kind of like a sorority! As a result, I would most definitely recommend rising sophomores to attend this program because you will gain a lot out of this experience and it will be lots of fun!
Written by: Jaelin Hayden
Written by: Jaelin Hayden
******************************
Adventures of the Mind 2011 has been a great experience for me. I was thrilled by all of the amazing artists, entrepreneurs, writers, scientists, Noble Peace Prize winners, cartoonist, athletes as well as those individuals who shared their stories about how some persevered and others “stumbled” into success.
I have never been more motivated to continue doing the things that I do in my community and what I will continue to do as an incoming freshman at Alabama State University.
Before coming to a little place called Missoula, Montana, I had never felt more empowered to be successful. Being in Missoula and finding out about its rich history and hearing stories and studies about Lewis & Clark has inspired me to focus on my passion and vision as a student mentor and leader.
The Adventures of the Mind program allowed me to make awesome friendships with people from across the country, including Montana, Kansas, New York, California, Tennessee, Georgia, Maine and even Alaska! Even though we no longer party with each other every night or debate about books by Mark Twain or George Orwell, we still keep in contact via Facebook.
All in all, Adventures of the Mind taught me to continue to be who I am and never be flustered about failing. If I am ever inspired to write a book, the title would be Don't Be Flustered by Failure and the first couple of pages would read: "It all started with a student conference in Missoula, Montana..."
If I had to choose a favorite speaker, I would have to say either Jacques D'Amboise, or Mark Moffett. Jacques has inspired me to continue being the Thespian that I am today...
While Mark has taught me that no matter what you're passion is, because you have one, you have something to be excited about. It’s not everyday that someone is passionate about bugs or ants, but meeting Mark has transformed my life.
Written by: Ty'Ronn Spriggs
Written by: Ty'Ronn Spriggs
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Camp Echo Hill - ShaQuan Moore
When I first arrived at Echo Hill Camp, it looked like a military base. We slept in a tent and we had bug nets to protect us from the bugs. I had five other roommates, Josh, Christian, Tavis, Austin, and NBB. I also had two counselors, Tim and Nick.
There were plenty of activities available at Echo Hill Camp, including: basketball, tennis, paintball, pellets, archery, crabbing, fishing, sailing, kayaking, bageling, water skiing, wake, knee, and belly boarding, swimming, arts, music, ultimate Frisbee and swamp mucking. While participating in these activities, I won a few awards, including: Land sports, Land sports king, fishing, bageling and 3rd class waterskiing, wake and knee boarding. The awards were different because they weren’t made out of metal – they were made out of wood. That was so amazing that they could make awards out of wood!
I had a great experience while at Echo Hill Camp. Everything – from the counselors, the activities, the campers, the two formal dances, and the food – everything was great!
On our last day, we were awakened at 2:00am to go to Echo Ring. Echo Ring is when we all sit around and the counselors told us one by one their experience as a counselor. Not once while I was away did I get homesick. But, after all the packing, the ride back home, greeting and seeing my mom and all of the hugs and kisses, it was good to be home.
Thank you SEED Public Charter School for giving me this most wonderful experience!
LearnServe Zambia - Ty'Ronn Spriggs
Dear Reader,
Today we visited David Kaunda National Technology School. It is a boarding school here in Lusaka, Zambia. I found this school really interesting because I attend a boarding school myself. I was partnered up with a student by the name of Bertha Chishumba. She is in grade 12 and she is finishing school in 3 months. She has been at David Kaunda since she was in the 10th grade. After David Kaunda, she wants to go to the University of Zambia and become an investment banker. She also wants to join the fashion industry. Bertha is a very smart individual and I was honored to be paired with her.
What I found very interesting is that she takes 8 classes a day and each class is 40 minutes long. Her subjects include Math, English, Spanish, Technology, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and History. At my school (The SEED Public Charter School), we only have 4 classes a day, but we take 7 subjects a year. Also, the David Kaunda School allows their students to stay on campus on the weekends with parental consent. I find that very interesting since some of the students live very far from the school, just like Bertha, and they have the option of staying in a safe environment other than walking home.
Another thing I noticed that completely blew my mind was that unlike SEED, they do not have Life Skills Counselors (LSCs) or Resident Assistant’s (RAs) to watch over the students while they are in the dorms. Instead, they have 1 student for each dorm who they call the “Head Boy/Girl” and this student has an office! When I went to see the dorms, the office was full of posters related to all of the different subjects. I was so amazed that these teenagers who are just like me have so much self -control and respect for each other.
The students at David Kaunda have a different perspective on education and success. Education to them was more than just coming to school everyday. They are actually interested in learning something, even if a teacher is not present. While walking through the campus, I stopped past a class with no teacher. The students were in their seats, quiet, working, with nothing but instructions on the chalkboard and a diagram. They went straight to work without a teacher being present for the entire class period. I know that in the past if my teacher were not present and there was no substitute teacher, no work was taking place in that classroom.
Today I learned that a teacher not being present is not an excuse for me to not do my work. I also realized that these students are motivated, they push themselves to develop successful study habits, and they are striving to be the best in all of Zambia.
As I said before, the students at David Kaunda are very intelligent. For example, Bertha has read every book in the Twilight series – a series with a very complex plot – and she is waiting for the new book to be released. I was very impressed on how self-motivated the students were. I just can not believe that this journey must end so soon. In two more days I will be saying goodbye Zambia and hello to my Mommy. I am really going to miss this place and all of the people in this group, both students and teachers. I will also miss all of the people I have met and all the youth I have interacted with and helped. It was so much fun while it lasted, and I will return in a couple of years.
Sharon Nouzari Louis (far left), outreach program coordinator of the NIAMS Career Development and Outreach Branch, and Dr. Mario Cerritelli (far right), chief of the branch, pose with students and two staff members from the SEED Public Charter School of Washington, D.C.
