“Don’t be afraid to be the one person asking questions; knowledge is priceless. Always search for some sort of meaning in everything you do – no matter how small it may be. ”
–Max Bone
Name: Richard “Max” Bone
Hometown: Rochester Hills, Michigan
Education: Portland State University
Passions and Interests: Learning new languages, foreign policy and meeting people around the world
Transformational Experience: Former GLA Ambassador of the Year
Making an Impact: Joining a work study with an NGO in Morocco that specializes in sustainable development during his freshman year of college
Max Bone is an experienced traveler and has probably visited more places in the world than most people ever see in a lifetime. Except he’s done it all before turning 20!
A four-time GLA student traveler and former GLA Ambassador of the Year, we think Max tells the story of his time with GLA better than we can, so here’s his take on the four countries he journeyed to with us:
2013 – Peru: Service in the Sacred Valley
I went on this program after my freshman year of high school, where I struggled to fit in socially, and I actually ended up leaving the school. It was amazing to be surrounded by teens from all across the globe on this trip who may not have thought the same as me, but had great passion for something in the world. This showed me that the petty drama that I felt surrounded by at home was not all that was out there. Aside from personal growth, this trip taught me more about public health than I could have ever imagined, which is still something I am interested in and try to learn about as much as I can.
2014 – Ghana: Children of Africa™
I honestly do not even know what to say about this trip, but it could easily be the most influential and life-changing experience I have had so far in my life.
I’ve been back to Africa twice since this program, and every time I’m here, things remind me of this trip.
I was going through a time in my life where many different, and contrasting, philosophical ideas were being thrown at me. In hindsight this was great, but at the time it was messing with my young, 16 year-old brain. This trip completely cleared my head of all of this, and allowed me to develop many ideals which I still carry with me today. This trip allowed me to get right into the life of everyday Ghanaians and truly taught me how to empathize, due to living in a small village alongside local Ghanians.
The exposure we got to the real struggles facing Ghana – and yet the true joy felt at the same time – is something I have yet to experience on any other trip. The memories from this trip are still among the best I’ve ever made – and whenever I hear someone mention Ghana, I get so excited. Two distinct examples of this are when I met someone from the village GLA works in (Anloga) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and we talked for over an hour. Or when I talked for the entirety of a flight to Portugal this January with someone from Accra. As I said, this trip was just amazing.
2014 – Guatemala: Children of the Maya™
I had just gone though a lot of personal growth in Ghana when I arrived here, and the international director was one of my former mentors in Peru, not to mention I had had lots of experience in Latin America already, so I arrived feeling on top of the world. This trip really helped me see the realities of migration, and I still reference conversations I had on this trip and stories I heard when discussing immigration policy today. This trip really allowed me to dig into the issues facing northern Central America and I took lots of factual knowledge and experience away from this trip that I do not think I could have gained in many other contexts.
2015 – India: Service in the Himalayas (now “Service Through the Lens™“)
Another difficult one to write about. I think this trip was the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to ask countless questions, and felt encouraged to do so. India had been my dream travel destination since I was very young, so to a certain degree, this trip felt somewhat like a full-circle moment for me.
I learned so much about everything I could have wanted to – be it the Tibetan refugee crisis, Indian nationalism, Sikhism, poverty, trade and more. This trip is perfect for wonks like me. I was able to see many things through a new lens, and was given the intense experiences I was craving.
One of my favorite things about the four GLA trips I went on is how I feel I went on each one of them at the perfect time in my life, and I keep realizing this as time goes on.”
Max’s travels with GLA, as well as with his own family, inspired him to take an unusual step as a college freshman. Instead of studying abroad later in his university years, as is most common with college students, Max decided to chase new frontiers abroad his first year.
He’s currently attending a fully-accredited program that combines aspects of study abroad and a gap year experience, while being enrolled in an expansive list of college courses. His first semester was spent in eastern Africa on a research-focused trip with a group of students. Right now, he’s living in Marrakesh, Morocco for a semester with a local Moroccan family, participating in a work study with an NGO that specializes in sustainable development.
Max plans to focus his studies and career in international relations, and found this program to be the key to gaining relevant experience in the field. It’s this practical, hands-on and in-person approach that provides him with the education in the field he seeks. As Max likes to say:
To truly understand international relations, you have to understand why people do what they do.”
And that’s harder to do on-campus back in the states, even though he plans on transferring to university there for the remainder of his college studies.
For now, the NGO is giving him an education in action. The NGO’s mission is primarily to provide carbon offsets for American and European organizations through tree planting in Moroccan communities, which helps provide funds to these towns (as well as bountiful fruit trees). The situation on the ground is complex and ever-changing, which provides the kind of surprises and new adventures he loves.
Also, the NGO he’s working with is giving him a unique opportunity to be truly immersed in the local culture, and do the same thing he did with GLA on a larger scale, where “you’re living in a community, not just visiting.”
While discussing how exciting his work study opportunity in Morocco during his first year in college must be, we asked Max how he thought about it compared to his high school travels with GLA.
And what he said really moved us:
I think high school travel is more important, honestly, because you are able to have these experiences in your formative years.”
We’re positive education and travel abroad will continue to have a positive impact on Max, and look forward to following Max as his future travels give him new opportunities to make his own impact on the world.
Programs Max attended:
- GLA Peru: Service in the Sacred Valley
- GLA Ghana: Children of Africa™
- GLA Guatemala: Children of the Maya™
- GLA India: Service in the Himalayas (now “Service Through the Lens™“)
Curious about exploring your own GLA adventure? Check these out:
- GLA Peru: Service in the Sacred Valley
- GLA Ghana: Children of Africa™
- GLA Guatemala: Children of the Maya™
- GLA India: Service Through the Lens™
Contributed by Brett Scuiletti
