A Journey of a Lifetime
Donation protected
This GoFundMe is for something very important to me. The COVID situation has given me a unique opportunity to take a semester off and gain leadership skills before I spend my last semester student teaching. I was originally going to ask for this to be my graduation present after I graduated in December, but I think it makes more sense for me to complete this course now - before I student-teach - as it will very much prepare me for my first time in the overwhelming teacher world. So, this is basically my graduation present but a few months before I graduate! :D
Experiences like these are what I crave. If the budget is met, that would make it possible for me to attend an Outward Bound course. Outward Bound is an organization all about allowing nature to help people grow massively and pushing people to test their limits. The Admissions Handbook describes that “Whether you paddle a canoe or row a boat for six or eight hours in a day, carry a 50+ pound pack for 10 miles, climb 2500 feet of elevation gain in a single morning or scale a rock wall, it will push you and reward you on many levels. Most people find that Outward Bound presents them with challenges that they are not sure they can accomplish. That’s okay; it’s actually the point.”
This course is for 75 days. I would be canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing, and sailing from Maine to the Bahamas. I did a course 2 years ago in Minnesota canoeing and backpacking for 30 days and it was the best 30 days of my life. I was absolutely miserable, cried my eyes out, but making it through the misery was what made the experience amazing at the same time. 75 days is a long time. It’s intimidating and nerve-wracking but that’s why I’m excited. It will be out of my comfort zone. It will feel like I am just dying on many occasions. I will cry and ache but there’s so much beauty and growth that simultaneously happens that it is more than worth it.
“Maine to Bahamas Leadership Semester” will be focused on cultivating leadership skills which will be extremely useful for me since I want to educate wild, crazy elementary students. I will admit that though I love children, I have not had much experience being a leader. This course will give me complete insight into how to take charge in an effective way and realize what kind of leader I can be.
I have been wanting to do another Outward Bound course for the past two years. This particular course fits my current stage of life because I’m in my last leg of college; therefore I’ll soon be teaching kids, but also because I’m at an age where my experiences define and shape who I will become in a major way. I believe this course will make me a more appreciative, resilient, confident, lively, self-reliant, adventurous and self-aware person. I’ll be exercising problem-solving skills as well as conflict resolutions skills throughout the journey.
The last time I went on an Outward Bound course, I went because I was in a bad place. I had major depression and didn’t know how to get out of it. On day 30 of my course two years ago, I felt I had gained the tools to get out of my depression and I took a year off of school to do that. I went on a 30 day road trip with my friend from Outward Bound and moved to Atlanta, GA for seven months chasing my dream of becoming a director of photography for films and realized that was not my dream. I went back to school and am now so determined to teach children and do my best to help them grow. Because of Outward Bound I am myself again. This time Outward Bound will strengthen me and propel me into becoming the best teacher I can be.
Here’s a link to the specific course description if you want to get a better idea of what this is funding: https://outwardbound.org/course/maine-to-bahamas-semester/441/?p=&view=&sort=&school=19&columnsort=&age=&locations%5B%5D=114&locations%5B%5D=116&locations%5B%5D=121&from=&to=&month=&flexibility=&length_min=4&length_max=48 I would be very appreciative of anything you donate! And please feel free to share! Thank you so much! Mckenna
Experiences like these are what I crave. If the budget is met, that would make it possible for me to attend an Outward Bound course. Outward Bound is an organization all about allowing nature to help people grow massively and pushing people to test their limits. The Admissions Handbook describes that “Whether you paddle a canoe or row a boat for six or eight hours in a day, carry a 50+ pound pack for 10 miles, climb 2500 feet of elevation gain in a single morning or scale a rock wall, it will push you and reward you on many levels. Most people find that Outward Bound presents them with challenges that they are not sure they can accomplish. That’s okay; it’s actually the point.”
This course is for 75 days. I would be canoeing, backpacking, rock climbing, and sailing from Maine to the Bahamas. I did a course 2 years ago in Minnesota canoeing and backpacking for 30 days and it was the best 30 days of my life. I was absolutely miserable, cried my eyes out, but making it through the misery was what made the experience amazing at the same time. 75 days is a long time. It’s intimidating and nerve-wracking but that’s why I’m excited. It will be out of my comfort zone. It will feel like I am just dying on many occasions. I will cry and ache but there’s so much beauty and growth that simultaneously happens that it is more than worth it.
“Maine to Bahamas Leadership Semester” will be focused on cultivating leadership skills which will be extremely useful for me since I want to educate wild, crazy elementary students. I will admit that though I love children, I have not had much experience being a leader. This course will give me complete insight into how to take charge in an effective way and realize what kind of leader I can be.
I have been wanting to do another Outward Bound course for the past two years. This particular course fits my current stage of life because I’m in my last leg of college; therefore I’ll soon be teaching kids, but also because I’m at an age where my experiences define and shape who I will become in a major way. I believe this course will make me a more appreciative, resilient, confident, lively, self-reliant, adventurous and self-aware person. I’ll be exercising problem-solving skills as well as conflict resolutions skills throughout the journey.
The last time I went on an Outward Bound course, I went because I was in a bad place. I had major depression and didn’t know how to get out of it. On day 30 of my course two years ago, I felt I had gained the tools to get out of my depression and I took a year off of school to do that. I went on a 30 day road trip with my friend from Outward Bound and moved to Atlanta, GA for seven months chasing my dream of becoming a director of photography for films and realized that was not my dream. I went back to school and am now so determined to teach children and do my best to help them grow. Because of Outward Bound I am myself again. This time Outward Bound will strengthen me and propel me into becoming the best teacher I can be.
Here’s a link to the specific course description if you want to get a better idea of what this is funding: https://outwardbound.org/course/maine-to-bahamas-semester/441/?p=&view=&sort=&school=19&columnsort=&age=&locations%5B%5D=114&locations%5B%5D=116&locations%5B%5D=121&from=&to=&month=&flexibility=&length_min=4&length_max=48 I would be very appreciative of anything you donate! And please feel free to share! Thank you so much! Mckenna
Organizer
Mckenna Seger
Organizer
Austin, TX