Should You Take a Gap Year? Absolutely.

As a young girl, I fantasized about what it meant to take a gap year between high school and the start of life on a college campus. These dreams usually consisted of me using up my saved money on plane tickets to Ireland, Thailand, and any other countries I only hoped to explore. 

Living like some of my favorite characters from movies like Monte Carlo and Lizzie McGuire, I would finally be free from the pressures of schoolwork and have time to visit and understand cultures unique from my own.

Yet, as 8th grade turned to high school and I finally approached my senior year, a gap year seemed entirely out of the question. I was applying to colleges, ready for that next step in my academic career. Not to mention, my parents would never send me out into the world on my own at such a young age with no money and no agenda. It was already decided. And I was content with that undiscussed decision.

Yet, with the arrival of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, I was forced to reevaluate my options. This new threat to my picture-perfect end to senior year also threatened what I was taught would be the highlight of my life, the beginning of my first year at college.

By July of 2020, COVID-19 numbers still weren't improving. It wasn't until a trip to Utah that I decided to shift my life's direction completely: I would take a gap year. It wasn't worth the money to be stuck in a dorm room & only meet people under the confines of masks and health safety policies.

My university said they could only grant me a gap year if I gave a designated plan. I scrambled. What would I do with an entire year? I couldn't travel; international borders were closed. I'd never thought this far ahead.

My mom, always presenting ideas to me, suggested an internship opportunity with the mental health nonprofit the Inspiring Children Foundation, located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aside from working with several of the foundation's youth at a volunteer event two summers prior, I knew very little about who they were and what they stood for. A year by myself in Las Vegas? The infamous place where people go to party and gamble their money away? Everything would be new. I wouldn't know anyone. The idea of going terrified me. So I said yes.

Ten days later, I was on a one-way flight to "Sin City" with only my two suitcases and the first name of a stranger who would pick me up at the airport.

Over the next four months, I was forced to take an inward glance and reflect not only on my years leading up to college but also on where I want to be and how I have the power to make my goals attainable. I learned to focus my mindset and appreciate my failures, taking these potential struggles as opportunities to grow. 

Additionally, taking a gap year allowed me to reevaluate my potential career path. While I applied to college as an education major, my work with the foundation's social media marketing team helped me recognize my creativity and love for photography/design. After only a couple of weeks working at the Inspiring Children Foundation, I changed my major to a double major in Markets, Innovation & Design, and Spanish. Reflecting, I am beyond thankful I discovered this passion early on in my collegiate journey. 

Now enrolled at Bucknell University, I see this internship as a blessing and recognize the tremendous growth I made as a human during my gap year. During my four months in Nevada, I met individuals from all walks of life and was humbled listening and learning from the experiences of my new friends and mentors. Above all, the foundation taught me the importance of surrounding myself with supportive people with similar goals and values. Within this inspiring environment, I felt a wave of motivation and self-actualization begin to guide me that continues to follow me as I continue my journey as a young adult.

For more information about the Inspiring Children Foundation, additional details can be found at: https://www.inspiringchildren.org/