What inspired you to volunteer with Raleigh International in Borneo?
I was inspired to volunteer with Raleigh International because my own mother was an expeditioner when she was in her 20's back when it was called Operation Raleigh!
Growing up and hearing her stories of her time volunteering and the life skills it gave her motivated me to volunteer with Raleigh after graduating university.
What was your favorite moment of the expedition?
My favorite moment was conquering the Adventure Challenge with my team and literally living out of my rucksack for 7 days.
I met numerous people during the expedition and made such great friends (six of whom are actually visiting me in San Francisco next year!). As a volunteer, we had a mix of community and project work within the local village, where we were re-building their water system broken from the 2015 Earthquake and also initiating hygiene efforts with the villagers.
Has your worldview changed as a result of this trip?
I really found not only my physical limits tested during the expedition, but also my sense of connection to a world greater than myself.
Living with the villagers showed how similar all humans are, regardless of race or ethnicity and that there is a common thread that connects us all.
Knowing that we were able to make a difference in a remote village halfway across the world and impact these people's lives directly by providing accessible drinking water was life-changing.