I am from a typical suburban community in San Diego, California where there is preconceived expectation to head straight to college after high school. I have observed a consistent path that people from my hometown follow. They work really hard in high school, to the point of exhaustion, go to a prestigious four year university, and then get a high paying job that is not fulfilling to them.
Not going to lie, I was headed in the same direction as most of my classmates because, well, I didn’t know any differently. I knew, however, that I was not content with living in my safety bubble. My safety bubble is all the things that make me feel secure and comfortable, such as my family and friends. I chose to step out of my safety bubble because I want to be able to be more self-aware, independent and self-reliant. When I heard about Global Citizen Year, I knew right away that it was what I was meant to do before I set off to college and beyond.
The best way I can explain why I am so inclined to travel and take a bridge year is to compare it to a docked boat. A boat can live its whole life docked and be safe, but it will never get to experience what it is like to do what it is meant to do: sail. The boat will not get to experience what it is like to have the wind run through its sails. It will never grow and learn because it has never been faced with the adversity of sailing through a storm.
By doing Global Citizen Year, I am sailing off the dock and into the unknown sea. Sailing away from the dock, or stepping out of my safety bubble, will allow me to reach my full potential and find purpose in what I do. I have the desire to experience the mysterious world that I am a part of. I have a lot to learn from the world and the people that live in it and I am eager and ready to sail off into it.
I cannot wait to learn, grow, tackle difficult situations, and most of all, sail.
