If I could choose one word to describe my time in the Gone Boarding program it would be transformative.

It transformed my comfort zone, my friend groups, my high school experience, and overall, my outlook on school and work. Gone Boarding found a way to push me out of my comfort zone each and every day. Whether that was using a new machine in the wood shop or surfing for the first time, there was always something keeping us on our toes.

In terms of friends, I made some of my closest friends from the GB program, and also formed relationships with both Kemp and Curtis that lead me to understand the value of relationships with faculty members.

Lastly, I had always had a very cut and dry outlook on what school was, always expecting to go to school, sit at a desk for hours, then go home. GB taught me that school can be fun and creative and rewarding and there CAN be learning outside of the traditional classroom.

Now that I am in my third year of college, I am thankful for this new outlook that I had in high school because I now take a much more creative, non-traditional approach to my college courses. This allows me to work and study in a way that makes the most sense to me, I would've never known that this was an option without the experiences that I had in GB.