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
When dreams meet reality
Benoit Dupras
2016-08-29
It’s been a week since I left Montreal for San Francisco, and these 7 days have been like heaven on Earth: I met a 120 amazing people from all around the world and experienced California like never before! For the first part of the week we stayed in the Redwoods, and the imposing silhouette of...
Read MoreA sleep-deprived reflection on Pre-Departure Training
Sebastian Paine
2016-08-27
I've taken three naps in the past couple of hours, but something keeps throwing me from my dreams and back into this cramped airplane seat. I'm not sure if this "cramped-ness" is purely physical, or a product of the fact that I am welling up with excitement, bursting at the seams with anticipation, and overflowing...
Read MoreWhy Global Citizen Year and What I Already Learned From It
Ana Gvozdic
2016-08-25
When I was 8 years old, I told my mom I want to be a nun because I wanted to help people. At the age of 9, I was thinking that if I ever win a monetary prize, I could get 10 000 energy bars for 10 000 BAM (approx. 6000 USD). I wanted to...
Read MoreFinding old friends and new purpose
Henry Duerr
2016-08-23
Here I stand, balanced at the edge of an incredible precipice. I need not look over the edge, nor fear the fall I shall soon take. Because for the first time in a very long while, I am not alone. As many of you may know, I have chosen to defer my matriculation at Hobart...
Read More#collegecanwait: Why I’m not attending my dream school (yet)
Sebastian Paine
2016-08-04
High school is a paradox. We, as students and as human beings, are at once created and destroyed. We grow, learn, and pursue new interests and hobbies. Thus, we are built up into who we are. At the same time, we are beaten down by a cycle of academic competition, peer pressure, and ruthless standardized testing. We are told that...
Read More#collegecanwait
Amanda Hawks
2016-08-04
I have always considered myself to be college bound, as I’m sure many of you have. College is extremely appealing, you get to make new friends, live in dorms, set yourself on a career path, and of course learn at a higher level. Which is why I surprised myself when I made the decision...
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Searching for a Home
Sophia Pandelidis
2016-08-03
I’m losing The Purple House this summer. When I walk out the front door on August 19th with one magenta suitcase, a backpack, and a guitar in hand, I will never get to walk into my home again. It will never be mine again. This will not merely be a mental separation, created by...
Read MoreI’m not going to Duke University
Luke Sallmen
2016-08-02
Not this year, anyway. Next fall, I’ll be glad to represent the Duke Blue Devils and learn how to be a college student. But first, I’m taking a gap year. And no, before you ask, I didn’t choose to do so because Malia Obama is doing it. I didn’t elect for a year off in an attempt to...
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La Familia
Marisa Etzell
2016-06-20
A little insight into my Ecuadorian family, the people who so graciously welcomed me into their home. I am so thankful for every one of them; they each hold a special place in my life. Take a look at the photo of all of us together and click on the audio to listen...
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