Spending a Year in Nigeria
When my parents decided to start their family in America, they instilled their Nigerian values in us children. Every morning, I would wake up to greet my parents with a "Good morning, mom! Good morning,...
Read More 3 min read
A Tale of Two Worlds
I glance behind me, checking that my little sister is asleep on the bed as I slip out onto the balcony of our rented villa. It’s early evening in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, right after the heat of...
Read More 2 min read
A Scenic Stroll to 1975
Four hours, three airports, two flights, one bus ride; we were here. A sanctuary with greenery and decadent coloring, the aroma of Blackeyed Susans captivated my lungs; I felt at home, but more...
Read More 3 min read
Zorita de Las Gente
He was probably in his late twenties when he died. He was a Christian monk and a member of the Knights Templars of the order of Calatrava. He slept in his armor and he rarely bathed. Let’s call him...
Read More 3 min read
Swiss Sweets
Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolates, Swiss Alps, and Edelweiss must ring a few bells for everybody. Switzerland is known...
Read More 3 min read
Seeing All in Seattle
I lean my head against the cool window of the Link Light Rail, watching rain droplets race one another down the expanse of the glass; if I squint they look like tiny men in the foreground of Washington’s...
Read More 3 min read
Speaking French In Ecuador
Rule number one to traveling: Study the native language for more than a week. That was something I had not taken into serious consideration as I hopped onto my plane. My destination was...
Read More 3 min read
The Locals Say “Nica”
People didn’t really get it when I said I was going to Nicaragua for spring break. “Isn’t that dangerous?” “Oh, is it for a mission trip?” and “Where even is that?” were only a few of...
Read More 2 min read
International Deprogramming: The truth About Nigeria
“So there I was, spear in hand,” I recounted to my thoroughly American friends, “The lion charged at me, jaws agape, snarling like the devil himself.” They’re all paying rapt attention...
Read More 2 min read
A Night on Battlefield 1864
The night was cold but the air was clean, so clean that the only thing that had polluted the perfect scent of the wilderness was the smell of fresh pine burning beside our camp smoldering away into...
Read More 2 min read
More Than Just a Museum Visit
Every summer I visit family in Seattle. The weather is always a million degrees cooler than Houston, TX, where I live. I love the change in scenery and lifestyle. Since I live in the suburbs, I am unacquainted...
Read More 2 min read
Finding Myself from the Summit in Colombia
"I am American. I was born in America. My skin complexion might be slightly darker but I am American no matter what.” I had these words engraved in my thoughts and no one believed them more than I...
Read More 2 min read
The Unconventional Ideal Vacation
Imagine your ideal vacation. Where are you -- On a beach, a jungle, or by the pool in five star hotel. What are...
Read More 2 min read
Hiraeth for Haiti
For my spring break of my senior year, I applied to go on a mission trip to Haiti. To my delight I was accepted to go, and the day we were set to go arrived quickly. The first day was water truck day,...
Read More 3 min read
Getting to Know Paris
I believe that the point of traveling is to escape a person's normal lifestyle, to break the habits of everyday lives. I grew up in a family of travel; we are always looking for new places to go in...
Read More 2 min read
Irish I Could’ve Stayed
Going into this trip, I was more excited to see cute red headed Irish boys than I was to see the Cliffs of Moher. I was more excited for the puns I would put as my captions on Instagram than I...
Read More 3 min read
Yellow Flowers and Invisible Fear
Fear is the one, invisible deterrent that stops me from making the most of my life. Fear is not a person or a physical obstacle, but I too often live my life dominated by its unseen hand. But...
Read More 2 min read
How to Survive a Volcano Hike
It’s a tradition in my family that we take at least one cruise annually. Last summer, it was a seven day cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We piled into the car, drove to the airport,...
Read More 3 min read
Antarctic Marathon Adventure
One does not simply walk a marathon in Antarctica, at least not without three layers of jackets and sweaters -- I learned that the hard way. It was March 9, 2014. I, filled with adrenaline, looked anxiously...
Read More 2 min read
The Power of People: Helping Rebuild in the Birthplace of Jazz
Pulling apart a roof is not as simple as it sounds. As I pried the warped and rotting shingles away from a house damaged by Katrina, I felt a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that I had never...
Read More 3 min read
A New Set of Cultural Binoculars
“You’re just different. You look like us, and your family is from here, but you’re so American,” Marilyn told me for the twentieth time. I understood well enough that being first generation...
Read More 3 min read
From Gulf Shores to Skyscrapers
From the excruciating packing for the trip there, to the heart-wrenching packing for the way home, New York City had slowly crept into my heart, calling itself home. Coming from a small town...
Read More 2 min read
The City Does Not Have Soul– It Reflects Your Own
Living in Midcoast Maine and competing in the USEF equestrian circuit throughout New England, I am no stranger to travel. I have experienced the beckoning of a rustic, quaint town as well as the calm...
Read More 2 min read
A Spanish Walk to Remember — A Week of Camino de Santiago
As I gazed up at the arched cathedral ceilings, held aloft by massive Romanesque columns, my mind wandered during mass as I thought about the week my family had just spent completing the Camino de Santiago. ...
Read More 3 min read
The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” These are the insightful words of John Muir, famed outdoorsman and conservationist....
Read More 3 min read
Elephant Adventures
“It’ll be great!” my father exclaimed with enthusiasm. He was referring to an elephant riding attraction he heard about earlier that day. We were in Thandwe, a small village in the Southeast Asian...
Read More 1 min read
An Abundance of Love
As I boarded the plane to be carried across the sea I was strangely calm. I was at peace. I was surprised by this, for this would be my first mission trip overseas and yet all that I felt in that moment...
Read More 3 min read
See America First: Bringing Back the Great American Road Trip
When most people think of a relaxing family vacation, a cross-country adventure through nine western states plus a Canadian province doesn’t automatically come to mind. However, my parents weren’t...
Read More 3 min read
Flipped by Mountain Fork
My parents were singing to old rock songs on the radio. My younger sister Emma and friends Rose and Ella were in the back seat with me laughing at ridiculous pictures on Instagram.“Look at...
Read More 3 min read
Pink Marble Urn
Warszawa’s crimson and white, Narodowy Stadium—National Stadium—flashed past the window as I was overcome by a shallow slumber. When I awoke, we were nearing the Polish periphery. Our intercity...
Read More 2 min read
The Palouse Sea and Everything In Between
In 10 hours, my view changed from a sea of blue to a sea of green, yellow, and gold. Green hills of potato plants, gold fields of wheat, and touches of bright yellow mustard in between surrounded me...
Read More 2 min read
The Old and the New
This past summer of 2015, I joined my Japanese class from my high school on a short exchange program in Japan, a beautiful country very different from my familiar America.SEMI-FINALIST 2015...
Read More 2 min read
Cruising through the Mediterranean
The imagination of a child can go to great extremes. I always imagined myself exploring castles and going out on adventures while riding on a unicorn, going through streets...
Read More 3 min read
It’s a Long Way From the Cook Islands
Sprint Canoeing might not sound like the most engaging Olympic sport to spectate, but every event has some element that captivates the audience. For example, water polo is possibly the only sport played...
Read More 2 min read
Wildfire
There is a strange, painful beauty in watching the forests burn. This must be why so many others have pulled over to the side of the highway, entire families leaning against their dusty cars, staring...
Read More 3 min read
Becoming a Global Citizen
In the summer of 2014, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe with People to People Student Ambassadors, a study abroad program created by President Eisenhower. With a group of 36 high school students...
Read More 2 min read
Divided by Borders, United by Blood
Paved roads turn into gravel roads and gravel roads turn into dirt roads; the pickup truck leaves pavement behind, entering an abyss of pebbles and mud and ditches. I hold onto the metal handle bars...
Read More 3 min read
The Center of the World
When Zeus instructed two eagles to circumnavigate the earth, I doubt he envisioned that thousands of years later, a younge blonde girl with red plastic sunglasses would stand in awe marvelling at the...
Read More 2 min read
Tumbleweeds and Little Seeds
When you think of any national park, you probably think about a place with bright green foliage and craggy waterfalls scattered over a few acres of land. In Joshua Tree National...
Read More 3 min read
Embrace Your Culture to Fit Into This Maniacal Society
The minuscule island located just the beneath India is like a speck of dust to the human eye. This island is so small, no one...
Read More 3 min read
Life in Udaipur: I Belonged in it
My fingers burned and my palms were glued to the rusty metal handle as I held tight, afraid of being tossed from the doorless auto rickshaw during the bumpy ride. My purple shirt had turned black as...
Read More 3 min read
Sharing Experiences in a Tropical Wonder
As we stood in the mucky, sweltering heat of the Philippines, I prayed that the bus taking us to our destination would come sooner—along with the relief of its cold, refreshing air from the strong...
Read More 2 min read
Endangered Island Life
"The big fish come in and swallow up the little fish." That is what Captain Crosby said to my family and me as we sailed out to Stingray City in Grand Cayman.
Read More 2 min read
Traveling & Its Affects on Character
Hard work transgresses struggle. Junior year I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Panama and my distant family. Despite their daily struggles and apparent poverty, Panamanians are said to be the...
Read More 2 min read
Disability Travel in Japan and Taiwan
I went to Japan and Taiwan with my mom, my step dad, my grandma, sister, uncle, aunt, and two cousins. My sister and I were both born with developmental disabilities but we have been traveling with...
Read More 2 min read
.jpg)
A Merciful Mission
The opportunity to journey to Malawi, Africa came...
Read More 3 min read
 (1).JPG)
The Big Blue
SEMI-FINALIST 2015 FTF TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
Read More 3 min read
Determined to Dream
I look around and see a place outside my comfort zone. Instead of the crisp, modern structures of buildings and casinos in Nevada, I see deteriorating slabs of concrete and weatherworn brick. In place...
Read More 3 min read
The Beauty in Our Own Backyard
Majestic mountains, luscious forests, towering rock formations, a brilliant yellow sun, a magnificent thunder storm; the diversity astounded me. With every passing mile, a new scene erupted into view,...
Read More 3 min read
Home Is Where the Heart Was, Is and Will Be
A broken or separated...
Read More 2 min read
