Incredible Learning Experience!!!

I spent my first semester of college overwhelmingly disappointed with virtual learning that resulted from COVID. I felt as though I has wasted time and money on an experience where I retained little knowledge in the classroom and made few meaningful social interactions on campus. My Spring semester spent with WA contrasted my Fall semester in numerous way, but mostly in the knowledge and perspective I gained throughout the 70 days. The various backgrounds and personalities of the individuals on the trip enabled me to learn more about their views and understandings while also developing my own. Unreal scenery combined with the cultural and historical significance of most of the locations we visited stimulated conversation among us that cannot be replicated in a classroom setting. There truly is no substitute for in person interaction and hands on learning.

While normalcy begins to be reestablished and I return to in person classes this Fall, I continue to think how grateful I am for my semester with WALI. Though the pandemic did instigate my search for an alternative to conventional school, the value of this gap semester still holds true even in COVID were negligible. I learned essential lessons about wilderness safety, the environment, and myself, and did so in the absurdly beautiful American Southwest. Could not recommend enough.