News

Pushing our limitsOur climbing and rappelling adventure was—for many of us—a trip outside of our comfort zones. However, despite some initial apprehension, we embraced the challenge as a growth opportunity and discovered new aspects of ourselves. On Day 1, we braved the courses on the side of the cliff, assessing our climbing skills by trying routes of varying difficulty. (Some of us—myself included—made an immediate beeline for the “easier” routes, only to find that th… Read more

This week we hear from Alex on our Hawaii and Western Program. While our Programs make some of the best memories they are also a learning tool for our Students.   Alex:  As I sat at a wooden picnic table inside a quaint Hawaiian hostel with my left foot in a bowl of Coca Cola and surrounded by 13 people I considered strangers three weeks ago, I was forced to ponder where I had gone wrong in life to put myself in this situation. A year ago, if I could have seen myself … Read more

Meet our Hawaii and Costa Rica Minimester Instructors!Hawaii Instructors:Annie Waschko Annie Waschko was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania (near Scranton if you’re a fan of The Office!) but has committed to exploring as many new places as possible. Her motto is “life is not short; it’s the longest thing you get” - she believes that there is lots of room for growth and adventure in life as long as you step intentionally towards it. She received her BA in Engl… Read more

Our Instructor (Daniel) is running a half marathon in his Thailand Quarantine hotel room while on one of our Spring Programs. We couldn't describe what he is doing better than he does himself:   'I'm running a half marathon in my hotel quarantine room in Bangkok to raise money for cancer, specifically Hodgkins Lymphoma. 21 kilometres on the 21st of Feb for a supportive and connected 2021 I did a trial run two days ago, running back and forth a few thousand times for … Read more

This is the amazing tale of one of our programs who are experiencing a quarantine hotel in Thailand before they can explore this incredible place!  Relaxation Time (quarantine) With a thousand different printed documents, masks on our face and passports in hand we have all made it to Thailand for this amazing adventure. We have travelled from all over the United States to get here through this new world of ‘covid’ travel. The what’s app group was bombarded as we all arr… Read more

Our first few weeks on Hawai'iThe first night of the program, we all talked and got to know each other at Pineapple Park Hostel in Kona. Then we had a birthday party for Anna, except there was a mixup and it wasn’t really her birthday, so we celebrated the birth of the group instead. We did orientation for the next few days and played getting to know you games. We got to go to some beaches too! One was a white sand beach, and two were rocky and perfect for snorkeling (on… Read more

Our Scuba Diving Journey!By Katherine Tilson If your child has not been checking in often, here is your confirmation that they are alive and well! The first week of activities has been fun and rewarding for everyone. We were split into group A and group B for scuba diving and have had a great time getting to know each other in these small groups. Each day, one group had an early wake up for diving while the other slept in and could explore Cozumel. On day one of divin… Read more

It's time to meet your Instructors for Spring 2021...    Hawaii Semester Program Group A | Instructors: Chris & KimChris hails from Auckland, New Zealand. He has a background in sport science and physical education, and absolutely fizzes over any outdoor pursuits! Chris has spent the last two and a half years working and traveling around North America, currently calling Fernie (a small ski town in British Columbia) his winter home. He cannot wait to swap the snowboard … Read more

Contemplating a gap year, but just not sure?  Jenny Nathan, a Boston University Blog Contributor, recently interviewed student alumni Aniko Springsteel. See what she has to say...   Q: Did you know you wanted to take a gap year?   A: Yes, I definitely knew I wanted to travel because I’d loved doing it so much before. Because of what I was planning on studying, it also seemed like it’d be really useful to gain a more global perspective and learn as much about the worl… Read more

Student leaders, Jackie and Luke, filled us in on all things Student Led Week; What they did, where they went and the adventure that ensued!    "During the second week of November we embarked on the official Self Led week for the trip. In a traditional Pacific Discovery Self Led week, students must plan getting from one destination to another (Ours being Onalaska, WA to Crater Lake, OR) using a budget.  We had been anticipating these dates for many weeks with many gro… Read more