“I think the [the biggest impact on my life] was the mission trip that I went on to Washington D.C. the summer before I was going to be a freshman. I learned a lot about myself and other people, and I really got out of my comfort zone. I learned how much I like to help people. Going into it, I didn’t have any expectations, but it ended up being super impactful. The best decision [that I’ve ever made] was to go on that trip. Another mission trip [I went on] was to the Dominican Republic, and obviously, it’s a bit of a different situation there. There was a fair amount of poverty there, which [created] a pretty stark contrast. [It makes you grateful for] even basic things like clean, running water and stuff like that. There are a lot of things to be grateful for when you think about it– like having the opportunity to have an education at a school like this. That’s something people often take for granted. Simultaneously, my favorite part and least favorite part of the trip was living with the host family because we lived on a really busy street corner. A lot of cars there don’t have mufflers, so it was really loud. We also didn’t have windows, so it was completely open to the outside. The first night we didn’t have power, we couldn’t plug in our fan, and the house didn’t have air conditioning. I also only spoke a little bit of Spanish, and [our host family] didn’t speak any English. That was a little challenging, but it was a really humbling experience at the same time. [These trips have] really humbled me, shaped me as a person, and helped me learn more about myself. I guess that has helped me to have a different outlook on my future and different perspective.”

(Senior)