"Brick Walls"

We have all had those moments, when your carefully made plans fall through. When your hopes, dreams and wishes add up to a cautiously calculated goal, only to be stopped in its tracks by a giant, enclosing brick wall. Although most may be defeated by the seemingly daunting barricade, some only see an obstacle to climb over, crawl under and when necessary, break through.

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”

― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I now see in front of me a choice: to be defeated by my brick wall, or to break through it. 

You see, I had a dream that soon became goal and is now a mission. This mission is to be a part of a program that I believe will change my life. Not only will the actual trip affect me, but this crazy, hard journey to get there already has greatly impacted who I am and who I want to become. When I first started down this road I didn't see the journey, all I saw was the light at the end of the tunnel. Now that the deadline for my trip has come and gone and I am still sitting behind my computer in Washington dreaming of far off places and people, I know if this is going to happen, its time for plan B. 

The only way for me to continue to pursue this mission, is to postpone it. This involves deferring my admission and scholarships to Pacific Lutheran University to the fall of 2016 and postpone my tour to Up With People to January 2016 to return in early June. This gives me 6 months to fundraise and work for my tuition (Although I am already employed I have been applying for a second jobs, no leads yet though). Luckily for me, I have a very understanding family that has helped me realize there is no shame in plan B, no harm in admitting that trying my best just wasn't good enough. In life it doesn't matter what knocks you down, but how you get back up. Fortunately, I am quite a clumsy individual and therefore have a lot of practice getting back up after a nasty fall. 

I don't know if I was born a fighter, or if I am just stubborn. Either way, I believe that the phrase is "never give up, never surrender". No matter what it takes I am going, and if that means I have to wait until January and work three jobs and never sleep, then that is exactly what I will do. It is really difficult for me to admit that I couldn't realize my dream of going when and how I wanted, especially because of all of the wonderful people that believed in me and donated funds, items or time to my cause. However, this is not me giving up, it is merely me finding the best way to break through the financial brick wall that stands in my way. Thank you for all of your support and love on my Journey to Up With People 2015 2016.

"Every Penny Counts"

Every penny is lucky if you see its worth. I empty my pockets at the end of each day into an empty coffee can. I got the idea from an UWP fundrasing guide while I was trying to plan a fundraiser. It is the simplicity of the idea that struck me. I got up and went into my kitchen to find a container. Luckily for me I had just finished the coffee that morning. After a quick rinse I decided to decorate it, because you know it is always more fun if you get to make it pretty. 15 minutes, some scrapbooking paper, sharpie and tape later, I found myself looking at a cute, motivational can begging me to fill it.

One penny soon became two and the forgotten change to my morning coffee is slowly multiplying. I have found that each time I add a dime I get a small burst of satisfaction. I know I am inching my way towards my goal and in a fairly painless way. I don't notice the loss of a few spare coins, but yet each day I am doing a little something for my future. I have only been doing this for a few weeks and I am shocked to see how many coins I have been able to collect.

Even though I was excited to see my progress in my little game, I was soon tempted to dip into my jar to scrounge some change for a vending machine one day when a cherry Coke seemed like a brilliant idea. That's when I decided I needed some ground rules, they became as follows:
1. Once the coin goes it, it can't be removed
2. No counting the jar until it is full.
3. Must save all change, even if that means looking cheap for keeping that $0.03 change.
4. No lending, or borrowing of coins.
5. Only open the can once a week.
You see, I figure if I limit myself, I will be able to fight off my urges for carbonated beverages and will hopefully be surprised when I realize how much money I have made!

Now, if only I could make my little game more profitable. I know! Spread the love! Which leads me to the unveiling of my newest and easiest fundraiser! SPARE COIN CAMPAIGN. I am asking all of my loving and supporting friends, family, and followers to help me by giving me their two cents so to speak. However, if you are looking for a little more motivation than that, I have the best kind, a little friendly competition if you will. I will be distributing Spare Coin Jars to interested parties and will be doing a coin drive from now until April 25th, my 18th Birthday. The party that raises the most coins will receive a Gift Certificate for Dinner for Two donated by Oddfella's Pub. The winner will be announced as soon as all the entries have been counted and a winner can be determined. I will be providing decorated jars upon request, but any old coffee can or cleaned mayo jar will do! It is amazing to see how much a little effort can accomplish and how much just change can add up to. Thank you for all you help and support. Let me know if you're interested, have fun, and remember, every penny counts!

"Fake It Till You Make It"

My freshmen year I was nervously pacing before my audition for jazz band when an upperclassman gave me some advice I will never forget, "You gotta fake it till you make it". Although I had heard the phrase before, it had never really meant anything. But in that moment, it finally made sense. That sparked my interest in so many things. M freshmen year I began taking leaps and trying things I previously never would have even bothered to look at. I auditioned for the spring musical, went out for the tennis team, ran in student government elections and decided that you gotta be in the race to win the race. Luckily for me, I have continued with this principle throughout my high school career. Although sometimes trying new things doesn't always work out, I have made so many memories and learned quite a few lessons by faking my confidence long enough to get through an audition or interview and that has made me the person I am today.

Four years and countless chances later, I have built up a new kind of confidence. I have realized that the best thing to do when you are unsure about something, is to just go for it. I have learned things about myself I would have never known if I hadn't stood on that stage or court or ballot. Now, I have a love of tennis, I decided playing in the orchestra for the musical instead of starring in it is more my style and I am now President of Band Council attempting to use my new found leadership skills to make an impact on the program that has given so much to me over the past few years.

It is this confidence and these experiences that lead me to pursue Up With People. When I first learned about Up With People it seemed like an unreal dream too far away from my grasp. The presenters asked at the end if anyone was interested in applying for their program. It seemed like a stretch, but I figured I wouldn't know unless I tried. I eagerly accepted what felt like a possible passport to the world and quickly scrawled my name on the list of applicants. The application  was thick and by the time I turned it in, the dream was fading fast.

Then, amazingly, I got called in for an interview. Picking out my most professional button up and trying to appear much more put together than I felt, I headed down to the Auburn Avenue Theatre and walked right into a room full of laptops, UWP staff and intimidating stares. As it turns out my interviewer forgot he had scheduled something with me and was not even in the building. At that moment I have to admit I couldn't have felt more unimportant.

The other various people asked me to sit and talk with them as someone frantically tried to track down the person supposed to be interviewing me. I took a seat at a table full of staff and began chatting about my hobbies and goals. Trying to hide my nervousness I attempted to make a good impression as I firmly took hold of my 'Fake It Til You Make It' mentality. The bittersweet thing was that they couldn't find my original interviewer (a completely gorgeous Swedish guy I had really wanted to meet), apparently he was stuck in a meeting in another part of town. The bright side is that m new interviewer ended up being the very nice guy I had just spent 15 minutes chatting with. Instead of not knowing my interviewer, I got to interview with Isaiah, a fellow musician from the US who attended the program before college and then went to work for UWP.

Throughout the interview I answered questions about who I am and who I wanted to be. What my goals and ambitions are and why I wanted to join the program. The last question of the interview was about my commitment to attending. He informed me again of the tuition cost and the international aspect of the program and asked if I would be able to attend because it is a competitive program and they didn't want to admit students that were not serious about attending. This is where a crack formed in my resolve. Although I was really committed to going, $18,000 was more money than I had ever seen in my life. At that time, getting Starbucks was a treat for me. I expressed my concern about the price tag, but assured him that I would work my hardest to afford to go.

It was how he responded to my concern that really gave me the confidence to pursue this further. He said, off the record, that I was a perfect candidate for the program and he was confident that I would be accepted, but that the official decision would have to come from their intentional headquarters. Then, he further assured me that he also came from a single parent family with siblings where money wasn't always easy and that at the time of his acceptance he had about $20 in his bank account. He said that he was about to raise the money in about four months with the help of his community and that he didn't want me to not try based purely off of the price tag. I thanked him for his time and consideration and then began frequently checking the mail box as I waited for a response.

After a few weeks, I made it! I got my acceptance and all my fears were erased. I was given an opportunity that I never would have even imagined if I had not tried. I am so grateful that I was able to conduct myself eloquently and articulate my ambition effectively enough to get accepted into this program. Now, as people as me how I am going to pay for it, I simply have faith, and fake my confidence until I am able to make it to my goal.

Thank you for your time and support in My Journey to Up With People! Please check my Donation page and keep looking for new posts! I will be sure to be a little more prompt with my next one :)

"How Are You Liking the Senior Life?"

The days tick by, the classes build in complication, and finally senior year has truly begun. As I carry my textbooks through these all too familiar halls, I also carry my dreams, goals, plans, and ambitions. My peers and I chat excitedly about college applications, admissions essays and scholarships; hiding our begrudging anxiety. It seems unreal, the time has carried us to the last stages of our secondary education and now we must frantically follow in the footsteps of our predecessors and walk onto the stage of maturity. Although it is exciting, we are really just wondering how we got here: how did we progress so seemingly fast through our lives to where we are now? Standing on the brink of adulthood, wobbling unsteadily, unsure  of every decision.

It can feel so far away from me, irrelevant almost. I am not concerned with getting the perfect letter of recommendation, or constructing the most persuasive personal essay. My time is not consumed by applications or registrations. I am void of the standard senior year college search strife.

What I am concerned with is my future. What do I want to be when I grow up?

Happy.

My main concern this senior year is putting myself in a position where I have options, I do not want to be in a place where I am forced to choose something because I have no alternative. My time in high school has been spent building my resume: honors and AP courses, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, Solo & Ensemble Contest, auditioning to be Drum Major, Band Council President, Tennis, Pit Orchestra for the Spring Musical. What has all of this been for? So that I can have options. So that if Up With People doesn't work out, I can still get into a reputable college. So that no matter how my plan shifts, I will be prepared to accomplish anything.

The question of "How are you liking the senior life?" can only be answered by the phrase "What life?". The main difference between my  past few years and a high school student and now, is that now my time is much more precious. My obligations are plentiful, my responsibilities multiple, my relaxation minimal and my frivolous meanderings nonexistent.

I definitely had underestimated the level of responsibility this year would require and overestimated my ability to multitask. So far this year has taught me to try to be more flexible and not use my time as efficiently as possible. A work in progress, but a lesson worth learning soon.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this. My hope is to keep this page updated as I chronicle My Journey to Up With People! So make sure to check back for new posts. Until next time, yours truly.

"Let's Get Down To Business"

I have a dream and a plan for my future, but now I need to get down to the business of making this plan a reality. The upcoming months will be filled with fundraising and preparation as I fund raise for my tuition, determine the logistics of traveling for 6 months, planning my educational activities, and finally packing up for the road. The only problem is, where to start. There is so much to do, so many details to manage, and it can feel as though I am drowning. Whenever I feel as though I am up to my eyeballs in questions, I try to remember Rome wasn't built in a day.

The first step, a financial plan to pay for my tuition and get to Denver next July. The tuition, preparation and logistics add up to about $20,000. I know, I know that is an obscene amount of money, especially for a 17 year old with a minimal grasp on adulthood. However, I have fully investigated and scrutinized the commitment and decision that I am making. Now back to the financial planning, how am I going to accomplish this seemingly insurmountable task?

Honestly speaking, I am not entirely sure. This is the largest amount of money that has ever had any direct connection to myself. The times where a dollar felt like a million bucks are not far behind me. My first paycheck, of a mere $300 something dollars, made me feel like I had found the key to a lifetime of wealth and good fortune. And even though it is surely going to be a challenge, there is no idea I am unwilling to try, no person I am unwilling to talk to and no amount of work that I am unwilling to perform to make this dream a reality.

Besides saving money from my current job, I also have a few fundraising events up my sleeve (more details to come). I am looking for odd jobs to do and tightening my belt when it concerns my Starbucks habit. My UWP counselor suggested that I write to local businesses and service organizations  requesting sponsorships or donations of their services. I took his advice and I have been researching local companies and institutions that may be able to assist me (if you have any ideas please let me know). Through a gargantuan amount of hard work and lots of networking, I am confident that I will be able to earn my way to this journey.

What comes after step one? Now that is a question for another day. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and choosing to travel down this road with me.

"So What Exactly is this Up With People Thing?"

The more people hear about this journey of mine, the more questions they have about what I am doing. Well I am here to answer all of these questions. The most obvious of these questions being, "What exactly is this Up With People thing?" Well to quote their website,

"Travel. Perform. Impact. Up with People is a global education organization whose mission is to bridge cultural barriers and create global understanding through service and music. We bring this goal to every community we visit and aim to leave a lasting, positive impression along with a spirit of community and service. For our students, our goal is to develop global citizens; to provide personal growth and leadership development opportunities; to instill an appreciation of the value of volunteerism in our society; to expose our participants to a wide range of experiences and cultures which will broaden their mind to the world and to their own potential".

Or more specifically, I will be leaving July 2015 heading first to Denver, the organization's headquarters, to meet my cast mates, professors, and the whole Up With People team. In Denver I will be learning the musical production and beginning my college courses before hitting the road. 20 different destinations in 22 weeks means I will be spending a week in each location. Although the destinations for my tour will not be finalized until approximately 2 months before I leave, recent tours have included stops in the United States, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Japan, The Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.

Another question, "What are you going to be doing while on this trip?"

"Each group, referred to as a “cast”, travels to nearly 20 communities across two or three continents, per semester, spending about one week in each community. Each week they live with a local host family, participate in 8 – 12 hours of service-learning projects, learn about different cultures through 4 – 6 hours of educational workshops, and perform in Up with People’s two-hour professional musical stage production."

These are just a few questions answered and I know there are many more, so please let me know about any questions you may have and I will be sure to answer them in future posts. You can also learn more about the program at  www.upwithpeople.org

Thank you so much for your time! I am excited to share My Journey to Up With People with all of you.

"Live Your Dreams"

"Live your Dreams" they said. If only I really knew what all of that meant. I have always dreamed about my future, flying on imaginary planes into the world of tomorrow and to the fabulous far away places of my imagination. However, imaginary planes only get you so far in life. As I began to read more books and learn about the world around me, I began plotting on how I could realistically get to all of the places I had read about.

Don't get me wrong, I have been quite a few places. My father served in the US Air Force for the duration of my early childhood. This allowed me to live in quite a few places. However, even when that part of my life was over, my love of travel continued. Road trips dominate many of my favorite memories, I have a ready arsenal of car games and mixed CD's that could satisfy any long haul venture. Luckily for me, my mom has a similar passion for travel. She has taught me how to be frugal, avoid tourist traps and pack for every possible scenario with efficiency.

But how do I see the world without putting my academic life on hold? How do I learn about how to exist in this global society that is blossoming and still follow my musical passion? How do I experience other cultures but also serve a community? All of these questions rattled around in my head making living my dreams seem like a goal that would never be completed. Until one day when all my questions were answered.

Up With People. A non-profit global education program dedicated to bringing young students from different backgrounds together to learn new skills, develop new cultural perspectives and cultivate social responsibility. The Up With People Program is multi-continent tour to 20 destinations in a single 22 week semester. After a lengthy application and very intimidating personal interview, at last I was accepted! It is through this program that I finally found a way to live my dreams. In this blog I will be documenting my journey to discover my future.