You are finally a senior in high school, congratulations! You have now earned the right to have anyone ask you the tsunami of questions. Where are you going to school? What is your major going to be? What colleges have you visited? Have you applied for scholarships? Where will you live? Who is your roommate? How many AP classes are you taking?
What are you going to do with your life?
Do you feel the pressure, yet? When I was there, I sure did.
But my parents were amazing, they asked me questions about what I really wanted and when I said that I didn't want to go to college yet, they just replied, "Okay! What do you have in mind?"
Start dreaming.
I thought of the places I wanted to travel. I thought of what I had always wanted to do. I thought about the kind of people I wanted to serve. I started googling a lot. One day, I received a call from an unknown number and when I answered a sweet woman from Christ for the City International introduced herself and asked what I was looking for. This was the start of my epic adventure into the Amazon Rainforest!
By the time I graduated high school, I had deferred my acceptance to Georgia College and had started raising money for my trip to Brazil. The first six months post graduation was hard work. I was a full-time employee at my local Chick-fil-a, saving up as much money possible for my trip.
The adventure begins
In mid-January, I finally departed for Manaus, Brazil! Upon arrival, I immediately boarded a small fishing boat with 30 others, and we began traveling down the Amazon River to bring medical supplies to the indigenous Indian tribes throughout the rainforest.
I spent the rest of my time in Brazil volunteering at a local orphanage. I taught English to students in an impoverished neighborhood, and also visited a specific tribe, the Apurinas, in the rainforest.
I learned more than I could have ever imagined. From learning a new language to learning how to hand-wash clothes in a river, I gained more life knowledge from my time in Brazil, than I could have ever imagined.
Whatever you do, don't rush it.
So now back to you, the high school senior. I want you to know that it's okay to not have everything put together. If you ask most college seniors, they still have no idea. Instead of trying to figure out what you want in the future, ask yourself what you want now. Are you ready for college? Do you want to travel? Do you want to have a full-time job? Don't be bound by social norms and expectations. Take your time and do whatever is best for you!
My only advice? Take a couple adventures along the way!
