Incredible Opportunity

Thinking Beyond Borders was an incredible experience for me, and I've grown so much as a result of it. I did the global gap year program, which means I spent 6 months abroad in countries all around the world, including Guatemala, Panama, Thailand, Cambodia, Ghana, and Morocco. We spent 7 weeks in Guatemala, Thailand, and Ghana, and focused on one specific topic in each of these "core" countries to try to gain a better understanding of what development is, and looks like. We studied sustainable agriculture, education, and public health, respectively. In these 3 core countries, we stayed with host families so that we were as immersed into the culture as possible. And it wasn't always easy; I think all of us wanted to go home at some point or another (and one of us even did), but we had developed such a great community within Thinking Beyond Borders that we were able to push through to the very end, and it was honestly really sad to see everyone go.
I would recommend Thinking Beyond Borders to any high school graduate who wants to take a year off between high school and college, and has a desire to explore the world more, as well as mature as a student, friend, and mentor.