The Opportunity That Started It All

I came to Ithaca College, two years ago, as a Journalism major, with the sole desire to write about what I love. All it took was an Environmental Biology class to declare a new love in my life: the environment. And so came the declaration of Environmental Studies as my second major. I had found my niche for writing and could not be happier.

It was around that time that a group called International Student Volunteers came to campus to recruit students for summer volunteer trips, scattered throughout the globe.

"This is it," I thought to myself. "This is the start of a whole new chapter for me."

And so it was. I filled out an application for the program. Sure enough, a few weeks later I was accepted to their New Zealand program. I would travel in May to this beautiful environment and I would be apart of an amazing conservation volunteer project.

Unfortunately, conflicts arose and my NZ trip [as I later called it] was canceled. The trip had already meant a lot to me, and I had not even gone! But boy was I determined. I applied again the next year and was accepted, same time, same place. Nothing could please me more.

This year has been filled with nothing but preparation, from obtaining sponsors, to writing grant proposals [that turned out successful], to preparing myself for the adventure of a lifetime, and now, here I sit, a mere three weeks from my departure date of May 13th.

It is going to be something completely different from what I am used to, but exactly what I have hoped for.

Now all I need to do is pack!