Elisabeth Mulder joins Margo on the pod to discuss her gap semester spent in New Hampshire with Gap at Glen Brook. This is a US based gap program with a mission rooted in the belief that “each of us must unleash our authentic identity, create interdependent capacities, and develop our wholeness to face the challenges of our time”. From spending two days solo in the woods, to returning as a summer camp counselor at Glen Brook and now heading back this summer for her third stint of time, Elisabeth’s passion for her experience with Gap at Glen Brook is inspiring.

Andre Morgan and Tiger Mar share their experiences as City Year volunteers in New Orleans and Boston. City Year is an 11-month-long Americorps volunteer program under the umbrella of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in national service. City Year operates in 29 cities nationwide and has an upcoming application deadline (April 19) for its 19/20 cohort of members! City Year helps to close gaps in high-need schools by supporting students’ academic and social-emotional development while also providing schools with the additional capacity to enhance school culture and climate. City Year..

Julia and Margo take a break while on the road for the USA Gap Year Fairs to talk all things art history with Holly Morrison, a former Art History Abroad alumni who has now turned her passions in the field into her adult career. With a fascinating take on the “heart, mind, and soul” of a gap year through her own personal gap year journey post-high school, Holly shares her deep passion for travel and art history with us and all the adventures that an AHA semester can entail! If you are interested in learning more about Art History Abroad,..

Kelly Daniels spends at least 3 months of the year on a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands. That’s because she caught the sailing bug in college and has spent her career since helping young people develop skills around water sports, including sailing and SCUBA diving. In our interview, Kelly will tell us about her personal journey, the student experience on Seamester and what to pack if you join a shipboard gap year program! Show Notes: About Seamester: Spend a semester at sea exploring the world from the deck of a sailing vessel. Study abroad while crossing oceans and experiencing cultures and continents..

February is Gap Year Exploration Month and we are inviting you to #explorethegapyear with us! Check out this full roster of GYEM events across the world. First we speak with Alia Pialtos of USA Gap Year Fairs. USA Gap Year Fairs organizes events across the US for students to discover gap year programs. Every winter, USA GYF travels to 41 locations from sea to shining sea. There are 20 fairs in February, so check usagapyearfairs.org to find one near you! We also speak with gap year alum Vicky Berman, who tells us about the fairs from a student perspective. USA Gap Year Fairs..

Our last episode of 2018 is also our Season 1 wrap up. Stay tuned for Season 2 coming Feb 4, 2019! Be sure to visit a USA Gap Year Fair near you this winter. These fairs provide students with a broad exposure to gap year programs and the opportunity for face-to-face conversations with professionals in the field. USA Gap Year Fairs has grown from coordinating 8 events to 40+ events over the past 11 years. Fairs are held in most major US cities and cuter, smaller places too, like Lebanon NH! See the full schedule here. Margo & Julia will..

John O’Connor and Eamonn Mazur were friends throughout their high school days in Massachusetts, and were able to turn a small seedling of an idea to hike the Appalachian Trail start to finish on their gap year into a reality. After many months of preparation, and differing pursuits in the fall of their gap year, they embarked on the adventure of a lifetime in March of this year. In this episode, they talk to Margo about their experience on trail and how the many ups and downs of the Appalachian Trail have impacted them in where they are today. You..

Brad Gillings is the founder of Youth International, an experiential learning program that combines authentic international travel, cultural exchange, home stays with local families, volunteer community service work, and outdoor expeditions.  Brad spent much of his early twenties traveling – first for 9 months with Up with People, then on his own in teaching in Japan and backpacking through much of Asia and Africa. He then found himself back in the US volunteering with NCCC, an arm of Americorps. Brad talks with us about how Youth International combines the ethos of NCCC with the rugged backpacking he came to love as a..

Gap year student and Travel Access Project grant recipient Michelle Zhang used her year to become fluent in Spanish while spending time in Guatemala, Mexico, Columbia and Peru. She began by studying at a language school on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala and bonding with her host family. She then went on to intern in Oaxaca Mexico with the EnVia Foundation, an organization that empowers women through microloans. As if that wasn’t enough, she then went on to backpack solo for two months in Columbia and Peru, making friends and conquering challenging treks along the way.  Guatemala Spanish..