The Young Leader

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The Problems You’re Supposed to Have

Ever thought about what problems you’re “supposed” to have…or not as a teenager? In a recent HuffPost piece, college freshman Alexis Jane Torre lays out a number of problems teens are “supposed to have,” including:

  • Your crush of two years doesn’t know your name

  • Your parents don’t understand you

  • Your best friend doesn’t get back to you

In other words, don’t stress the “to-be-expected.” Sound advice. But maybe you’ve heard this great Yiddish saying: If you and all your neighbors lay all of your problems on your respective front lawns, you’d look them all over, and end up taking back your own.

With our lives becoming increasingly more interconnected via search engines, Skype and social media, suddenly our neighbors are not just the ones three houses down; they’re in Egypt, Mexico and India. Some of the problems out on the front lawns of these teens might include:

  • Lack of basic plumbing or clean water

  • Limited access to education and resources

  • Environmental threats

Would you take back your own problems now, even if they’re heavier than a crush not knowing your name? Are these just the problems our neighbors are “supposed” to have? Thousands of teens around the world think not and taken action already, proving their generation is capable of making significant change in the world. And they’ve had the time of their lives in the process.

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How to Make Your Application Stand Out to College Admissions Counselors

Applying to college can be unnerving. Demands on high school students grow every year, admissions counselors look for excellence and personality in prospective students, and applicants just have a few sheets of paper-applications, resumes and maybe an essay-to put their best foot forward in the application process.

You might think that resumes are just for job applications and internships, but they can also play a key role in the college admissions process, highlighting your experience in a way that an admissions form can’t.

So how can you make your application stand out? Here are a few surefire tips to ramp up your application and impress admissions counselors.

1. Be Choosy

Do your research before you decide which schools will receive your applications. Find out what potential colleges specialize in and how you can get involved. Don’t apply unless a school fits your lifestyle and goals.

When you submit your applications and/or essays to admissions, mention what you like about that school and the ways you believe it will be a perfect fit for you. If you’re struggling to come up with good reasons to go, that school might not be the best match for you. Once you’ve figured out where you want to go and why, having those reasons clearly defined will shine through in your application.

2. Let Your Personality Shine

When a university like Princeton receives tens of thousands of applications from students who all made perfect grades through high school, they have to narrow their choices somehow. As a matter of fact, admissions counselors say that perfect grades don’t guarantee you a spot… anywhere. Admissions offices are looking for more than that.

This is where your extracurriculars, life experience and even personality come into play. Admissions counselors say they want to get a peek at the person, beyond just a stack of impressive papers. Keep it professional during the application process, but don’t be afraid to be yourself.

3. Go On a Trip

One of the best ways to add weight to your resume is to participate in an exchange program or in an overseas pre college summer program. Universities know that well-traveled students have a more developed outlook on life, and tend to be more culturally savvy than students who haven’t ever stepped outside their comfort zones.

Participating in a high school volunteer abroad program is one way to get this type of experience; GLA offers a wide variety of programs that can give you language practice, environment and ecology experience and a look into the rich traditions of cultures on the other side of the world.

4. Submit Your Application Early

Just because you have until the last few hours of a deadline doesn’t mean you should take them! Getting your application in early gives admissions counselors time to thoroughly review your information, and it shows that you’re on top of your game. Some universities have early-admittance policies that favor students who turn in their applications ahead of time.

5. Be Specific

According to an interview with Fox Business, one of the best ways you can make your application and essays stand out is to give clear, specific details for your experience. Don’t just say “Worked at Safeway stocking shelves.” Tell admissions counselors about projects you’ve completed through teamwork and challenges you’ve worked through.

Make it clear how your volunteer and work experience and any awards you’ve earned have affected your educational goals.

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Is Volunteering Abroad All Work and No Play?

Dear Future Global Leadership Adventures Student:

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to travel and serve abroad on a summer volunteer program, there’s no better source than someone who’s actually done it. So, as a proud GLA alum, I’d like to share my story in a few words, and in a video that hopefully transports you to my destination: Guatemala.

On getting there: During my summer I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Guatemala for a fourteen day service trip. I couldn’t have picked a better trip to go on. From the very moment I arrived at Guatemala City I felt welcomed, the trip advisors made us feel right at home, and the whole group just clicked immediately.

Some of the highlights: Every moment was a memory I will treasure forever, from singing  in the van, making a flash mob at breakfast, and eating copious amounts of chocolate, to meeting the most incredible group of Guatemalan children, learning bits of sign language, and learning about Guatemala’s history from a war veteran.

One thing you should know: If there is one thing people should know about this trip it’s that you will learn so much not only about a new culture or friendships but about you, you will discover so much more about yourself , which will inspire you to find your own unique way to make the world a better place.

Without further ado, here’s the video I edited together from my trip that captures some of things words just can’t. Enjoy!

Sincerely, Vita Benitez-Thomas

PS: To check out videos by other Student Ambassadors from destinations around the world, click here:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9D9339FEC8A56509. No two programs or experiences are ever exactly the same, and that’s something to celebrate.

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Volunteering in Tanzania – “My Lasting Mental Oasis” by Colin Wallace

Colin Wallace, Giving of Self Reflection

Fragments of life rushed past me as I sat in the back of the bus that took us to and from work each day. The first day I began teaching English in a small primary school in Tanzania, I felt overwhelmed and insecure by the sheer unfamiliarity of my surroundings: the language, the people, the culture—everything was foreign. I stopped and asked myself what I was doing in a country halfway around the world where I couldn’t speak their language and I did not know a soul, and the only answer I could muster up was that I was pursuing my passion of service. However, I found by the end of my trip that my time spent amongst the Tanzanian culture created a lasting mental oasis for me that I am still able to draw from, sip out of its refreshing waters, and lose myself from reality.

The speed at which Americans move each day was modeled well upon my arrival in the JFK airport on my return home. It was when I was surrounded by this familiar buzz of stress in everyday life that I instantly began to reflect back on my life-changing experience in Tanzania to feel a sense of peace and perspective. This intense culture shock made me realize how valuable my experience in Tanzania was, and the ability I had to get lost in the moments I have collected in my memory.

I get lost in memories of the children I worked with at Himo and Korona primary schools, remembering their elation at the start of each day and the juxtaposition with their extreme lack of resources to pursue a future. I expected much sadness and grief when I went to Tanzania; rather, I saw a joy that was foreign to me. Back home in America, I had never seen such gratitude taken in such small things. The children I taught were each given a new pencil on the last week of teaching, and the delight they took in receiving such a simple tool was an image that will forever be impressed in my mind. We would pass houses each day comparable to the average American shed, filled with families laughing with each other and truly soaking in the joys of life.

When I reflect back to the people of Tanzania and their culture that started out so completely foreign to me, I am at peace. I am thankful for each moment and try my best to follow their lead in finding joy in little things. When I think back to Africa, I become lost; the stress in everyday life disappears and I feel an inexplicable sense of peace and joy for the blessings I have been given.

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"Tanzania – My Lasting Mental Oasis" by: Colin Wallace, Tanzania 2012.

Colin Wallace, Giving of Self Reflection

Fragments of life rushed past me as I sat in the back of the bus that took us to and from work each day. The first day I began teaching English in a small primary school in Tanzania, I felt overwhelmed and insecure by the sheer unfamiliarity of my surroundings: the language, the people, the culture—everything was foreign. I stopped and asked myself what I was doing in a country halfway around the world where I couldn’t speak their language and I did not know a soul, and the only answer I could muster up was that I was pursuing my passion of service. However, I found by the end of my trip that my time spent amongst the Tanzanian culture created a lasting mental oasis for me that I am still able to draw from, sip out of its refreshing waters, and lose myself from reality.

The speed at which Americans move each day was modeled well upon my arrival in the JFK airport on my return home. It was when I was surrounded by this familiar buzz of stress in everyday life that I instantly began to reflect back on my life-changing experience in Tanzania to feel a sense of peace and perspective. This intense culture shock made me realize how valuable my experience in Tanzania was, and the ability I had to get lost in the moments I have collected in my memory.

I get lost in memories of the children I worked with at Himo and Korona primary schools, remembering their elation at the start of each day and the juxtaposition with their extreme lack of resources to pursue a future. I expected much sadness and grief when I went to Tanzania; rather, I saw a joy that was foreign to me. Back home in America, I had never seen such gratitude taken in such small things. The children I taught were each given a new pencil on the last week of teaching, and the delight they took in receiving such a simple tool was an image that will forever be impressed in my mind. We would pass houses each day comparable to the average American shed, filled with families laughing with each other and truly soaking in the joys of life.

When I reflect back to the people of Tanzania and their culture that started out so completely foreign to me, I am at peace. I am thankful for each moment and try my best to follow their lead in finding joy in little things. When I think back to Africa, I become lost; the stress in everyday life disappears and I feel an inexplicable sense of peace and joy for the blessings I have been given.

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