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
A Blog is Born
Lauren Guido
2013-07-18
Hi, my name is Lauren. I’m from a suburb of Cleveland, and I’m a girl on the move. I have always loved adventures, from biking 110 miles throughout New York City’s five boroughs to rock hopping in the ravine near my house. But there is one activity that has always stayed the same: my commitment to volunteering and giving time...
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Ready for Adventure
Mitchell Ryan
2013-07-18
I guess you could say I’ve always been an adventurous person. Not adventurous in the sense that I spend my summers traveling through Europe or weekends hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but more so in the sense that I have never been one to think twice about trying out strange and colorful experiences. This...
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Defining Myself
Lillie Mayfield
2013-07-18
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was from my father. When I was young he told me, “Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.” As a child I was so enlightened by this statement that I proceeded to harass my elementary teachers with every “why” and “how” question I could think of. While I...
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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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