Gap Year? Yes Please by Kenia

Gap Year? Yes Please by Kenia - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

Before accepting my admission to San Jose State University, taking a gap year was something I was very strongly considering. A lot of students take gap years to stay home, take a break and save money for when they actually go to school. But I wanted to do something better. I wanted to travel but not just travel to see sights and have fun, but to go on a long service trip alone, with no friends or electronics. I have gone on service trips before with friends from school and people I know. This sounds cliche but those trips were life changing. My view on life changed. Seeing the kind of lives people in third world countries live is eye opening. You realize how much you take for granted and how well off you are. You regret all the times you didn't think that what you had was enough. I'm not wealthy but what I have is what I need.
Going on a yearlong service trip would only intensify those feelings. I would meet so many different people, see so many places and learn about new cultures. I just wanted to leave everything and live a different lifestyle for a while. I am not a routine kind of person, so sometimes being in the U.S. gets to be so dull because its school, school, school, work, work, work. During service trips you aren't doing things for your benefit for a change. You get to help while feeling great about yourself and that is a feeling I could get used to. Meeting the locals and having the children come up, hug you and ask you to say words in english is probably one of the best feelings ever. Leaving is one of the worst feelings ever but everyone is so thankful for what you've done. Coming home you feel complete and can't wait to do it all over again. So that is the one thing I would do to make the most of a gap year.