As high school comes to an end, young adults begin the next big chapter of their life. A newfound independence is celebrated like never before. Many students continue their education in university or begin full time jobs while others take a year off to travel. This is called a gap year. Taking time off after high school is something that many, including myself, dream of as it provides teenagers with a chance to explore their individuality and learn about the world through meaningful, real life experiences. 

“Traveling is important to me because it helps people have fun with their lives, rather than just staying in the same place your whole life. It allows you more freedom and further develops your personality,” junior Brayden Nemec said. “I would go to the west coast and try to visit every state, national parks, and the mountains to hike and spend time in nature.” 

Another noteworthy benefit of taking a gap year is that people are able to discover more about themselves and how they can mold their passions into a future career. For many students, school can be physically and emotionally demanding, resulting in burnout. In my opinion, being a student is kind of like having a full-time job. It becomes my whole personality, and I have little time to focus on myself or explore what I am passionate about outside of academics. While academics are important, I think that people can learn so much more from real life or hands-on experiences. Therefore, taking a couple months to a year off after high school graduation would be ideal to find a better sense of direction for future commitments.

“I want to take a gap year to figure out what I want to do with my career because high school is a lot, and I can’t really think about it because I’m so busy and overwhelmed at times,” sophomore Janessa Cruz said. “I think I would like to do volunteer work and stuff like that. I’ve always been interested in volunteering at an animal shelter or a retirement home, but I haven’t found the time to figure out where I can volunteer.” 

Others take gap years simply to travel and form meaningful relations with world culture. For some, exploring other cultures strengthen bonds within their own ethnic backgrounds. 

“I also come from a different country than the United States,” freshman Ana Alvarez said. “I’m from Honduras, and after learning the culture over there, I became interested in Japan’s culture.”

I find that our whole world is geographically divided and intertwined through human connection. Different cultures weave their way into numerous societies due to human interest, forming the various and distinct countries that exist today. Only by learning more about different cultures will the world’s future relations evolve and strengthen. 

“I would definitely like to visit Tokyo, Japan because there’s a lot of really good foods and sweets there I would like to try,” Alvarez said. “One of the foods I would love to try someday would be yakisoba, which is a stir-fried noodle dish made with wheat noodles, savory meat, and vegetables.There’s also a lot of manga, which are Japanese graphic novels, over there that I’d be very interested in seeing.”

Resources are available for those interested in taking gap years and need extra guidance and support, such as the Gap Year Association (GYA). According to the GYA, they are “a nonprofit membership community for educators, students, gap year programs, consultants, counselors, and post-secondary institutions with a shared vision of cultivating a future where gap years are widely accessible and recognized as vital to personal, professional, and educational development.” GYA provides individuals with the opportunity to travel to a different country and interact with surrounding communities. In many cases, financial aid and college credit programs are available. GYA has even quantified the benefits of taking gap years through their program in their 2020 National Alumni Survey of 1,190 gap year alumni.

For many, taking a gap year after high school may seem like a futile concept, and it can be in some ways. It takes away a significant amount of time: time that could be spent studying in university or starting work. Some may argue that it is possible to discover what they are passionate about during the summer, or in tandem with school if done right. For me though, traveling over the summer is just not the same. I have traveled to numerous countries like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Haiti and learned plenty about the culture there, but never had much time to immerse myself in it. I would rather prefer to take a gap year off in a different country, and allow myself ample time to learn as much as I can about myself through the change of scenery.