Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
Category
Class Year
Country
First Post
Meg Healy
2010-10-04
Earlier this week the fellows journeyed to San Francisco to learn about empathy. We spent six hours exploring the often-avoided Tenderloin neighborhood to talk to people and to hear stories in order to better understand homelessness and some of its causes. As a native of Petaluma and frequent visitor of San Francisco, I was somewhat...
Read MoreThemes
Karyn Miller
2010-10-04
There are a few key ideas I’ve picked up on over the course of the past two weeks: Open-mindedness This was our advice to ourselves from the beginning of the training, and it was frequently echoed by speakers and staff. It’s a fundamental part of immersing yourself in a new culture: a willingness to hear...
Read MoreA Conversation with Justin Moore
Michael Stivers
2010-10-01
On Thursday September 23rd, five of the thirty-three fellows and I got a chance to tell their story in a unique setting. This opportunity arose through StoryCorps, a non-profit organization with the mission of getting everyday people from all backgrounds to interview each other in a relaxed setting (you may have heard StoryCorps segments on...
Read MoreIt gets a lot harder before it gets easier
Mariela Garcia
2010-10-01
Back at home, San Jose, California, I held a consistent pace of life that had taken me years to establish. I’d finally adjusted to my community, surroundings, and relationships, but now I’m committed to a seven month experience that will begin as exactly the opposite. It’s a taunting ordeal, getting used to a different setting,...
Read MoreWhere I’m At
Adam Horowitz
2010-09-30
Adam Horowitz I go off into the world bursting with the potential to personally undergo and affect change. That’s what people say. I was unsure of a lot this past year, specifically whether to go to college. However, these past eleven days have done a lot to renew my faith in my chosen peers and...
Read MoreWhy GCY?
Thomas Linford
2010-09-30
I always get asked the question “why did you do Global Citizen Year?” I’ve come up with some good answers causing nods in my listeners, and other answers that cause my listener to change the subject. I’ve said that Global Citizen Year will better prepare me for college, or that Global Citizen Year would be...
Read MoreVocabulary
Cooper Wright
2010-09-29
These past two weeks have been very vocabulary heavy. Learning about things such as social impact, social development, global development, INGO’s, NGO’s, and so on can be very overwhelming. I found myself overwhelmed by the broad themes of these topics and phrases. However, throughout the two weeks, I have seen clear overlaps in these topics,...
Read MoreThe San Franciscan
Thomas Linford
2010-09-25
My name is Tom Linford and I was born and raised in San Francisco, California and I will be going to Brazil next year. My alma mater, Lowell High School, is the oldest high school west of the Mississippi. It is an extremely high caliber high school academically because it is the top public high...
Read MoreFirst blog post
Cooper Wright
2010-09-23
Living in one place for all of my life, I never have really seen the world. I was always wondering what was out there, and always seeking new adventures. Going to Brazil seems to be the climax of this curiosity, as in less than two weeks, I will be leaving for Salvador, Brazil. While I...
Read MoreFirst blog
Toni White
2010-09-21
All my life I broke boundaries that were set before me. As a child growing up in the South Bronx, I felt as though society had already dictated my future. My community is filled with people who do not really want much out of life; only seeking to make money. From a young age, I...
Read MoreIntroduction
Adam Horowitz
2010-09-21
I was born in Greenwich Village, and I’ve lived in downtown Manhattan my whole life. As a personal introduction, I am a photographer, squash player, proud city kid, nature lover, and avid World Wrestling Entertainment drama viewer. Back home, my older brother and sister are both currently in college. As a high school student, I...
Read MoreMy Introduction
Michael Stivers
2010-09-21
Coming from a small town in upstate New York, I’m still having a hard time trying to simulate the experience that Salvador and its surrounding areas will offer. I have always wanted to not only see other parts of the world, but assimilate myself into the endless number of cultures that it offers. I see...
Read More