"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.