Traveling The World: Essential to Education
By Molly Smith
From a young age, I have wanted to travel the world and see everything there is to see. I decided one day I would go from the slums of India to the deserts of Egypt, and take in everything I could. Some people might say this isn’t realistic or it would be too expensive, but with programs available in schools such as Galileo’s SummerFund or the UC Education Abroad Program, in which students can pick from 35 countries to study in, I think it has become an essential part of education.
Seniors in high school are just setting out into the world where everything is suddenly in their control and their future is completely undecided, which makes it an ideal age in which to begin accomplishing these goals. I have begun to realize more and more this year that the point is coming when everything is up to you and my goals for the next couple of years are finally starting to come into focus.
Traveling is something that is really important to me and I think that through exposure to different ways of life and broadening your horizons, you get a more realistic view of the world and are not living in your own bubble the rest of your life. I think that so many students live completely sheltered lives and don’t even know it because they stay in the same place their whole life and don’t acknowledge that other countries and less fortunate people need their help more than corporate businesses in the United Sates.
Many third world countries receive funding from the United States, but a lot of this money doesn’t go to directly towards helping people who don’t have food or proper homes to raise their families in. I think people should take the time to go directly to the source and get hands on experience working with and providing for these people, because many non-profit organizations or businesses that
say they are donating to the needy are unreliable or just don’t have the resources available to follow through with it. Even if you are unable to help, traveling has a huge impact on your education by taking you out of your comfort zone and giving you experiences you never would have had at home.
Programs such as our own SummerFund at Galileo, which takes students on trips around the world even if they don’t have a lot of money, encourage the younger generations to start making a difference early and promote the idea that you are never too young to help. These programs are there to help you reach your highest potential, despite things that may normally hold you back such as not working for an influential business.
Whether you are going to different countries and building homes from rock bottom, or just going on an adventure like rock climbing, you are doing something that will impact the rest of your life and that will give you incredible experiences.
Education is not limited to the classroom and your textbooks, it is about taking the initiative and opening yourself up to other cultures, environments, and people that you know nothing about. This is the only way to truly learn about the world we live in and get the most out of it that you can.