Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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Class Year
Country
The Manifestation of a Goal
Esten Steflik-Fabec
2013-07-18
During my senior year of high school I took a class by the name of “Senior Seminar” which became instrumental in my choice to take a year off before college. In the class, we read a host of works by famous western philosophers. Although they were all invaluable in their own right, perhaps the most...
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Wake Up
Jose Duran Jr
2013-07-18
As of late I’ve noticed a peculiar habit forming in my daily routine. Everyday at sunset, like clockwork, I quietly make my way to a secluded spot near Houston’s Hobby Airport. As the summer progresses my interest in this place has been growing exponentially, almost to the point of a mild obsession. Each day I venture out to my...
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To Senegal and Back Again
Aly Counsell
2013-07-17
“I just knew. The moment I stepped on campus, I knew it was the school for me.” This is what I heard time and time again from graduates of my high school when they talked about choosing a college, and those were the words that comforted me as I plunged into the unnerving labyrinth of...
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The Beginning
Abigail Clavin
2013-07-17
My name is Abbie Clavin, and I have just graduated from The Governor’s Academy, the oldest and one of the most traditional boarding schools in the country. This being said, deciding to take a bridge year was not exactly easy. While all my friends and classmates were filling out roommate forms and picking their classes, I was researching my...
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Why You’re Wrong About Gap Years
Amanda Langan
2013-07-17
When I tell people I’m taking a gap year, or bridge year, instead of going straight to college, there are two types of responses I receive. Some people bombard me with questions; others give me a blank stare, not sure what taking a gap year really means. People often ask, “Why don’t you want to...
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Our Deepest Fear
Jaelen Buxton-Punch
2013-07-17
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? …Your playing small does not serve the world....
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I Dont Know Where I Am Going but It’s Going to Be Great
Abigail Mejia
2013-07-17
He was working on what seemed to be a calendar when I asked him for five minutes of his time. He looked at me blankly, sighed and almost reluctantly said “sure.” I remember sitting in the office starring at his back as I tried to gain the guts to tell him that I had decided to defer a...
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Who Am I?
Neil Singh
2013-07-17
Hello everyone! My name is Neil Singh. I’m from the Blue Mountain area but I grew up in Allentown Pennsylvania. I spent much of my early life learning new things, reading and enjoying nature. I would spend hours outside running around, chasing squirrels and climbing trees. My parents moved to Allentown when I was 12,...
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Dream Big!
Thien Tran
2013-07-16
For a stereotypical Asian-American child, there is a path that needs to be followed: high school, college, and then medical and/or law school. The idea of a “gap year” or “bridge year” was never even spoken about in my house, let alone something that I ever thought I would consider. The path for me seemed...
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