My STEP Project included travelling to the Big Island of Hawai’i to become PADI Scuba certified and earn specialty certifications in debris cleanup and coral reef health data collection. We spent our week living on a farm located on the north side of the island and completing the necessary tasks required to earn the PADI Open-Water certification, including four confined water dives and skills and four open water dives and skills. Halfway through the week, we completed the Open-Water requirements and moved on to the dives and classroom learning required for the Dive Against Debris and Coral Watch- Coral Health specialty certifications.
By the end of the week, I was surprised by how I saw myself. If you would have asked me before I left if I would ever consider joining the Peace Corps, I would have laughed in your face. I did not have enough volunteer experience at that point in my life to understand the purpose and passion it can truly fill me with. Not only did I return home with a newfound need for sustainable volunteering, I was overcome with appreciation for nature and the connection with it that I was lucky enough to experience throughout the week.
Upon arrival, I was nervous and hesitant for what the week would hold living on a self-sustaining farm in cabanas without electricity. The next 8 days really shed light on how beautiful a personal connection with mother nature can be. I found myself not caring what my hair looked like or who was texting me. I felt the most joy I ever have in my entire life unplugging and appreciating the setting I was in and the people I was surrounded with.
I think a lot of this change also had to do with the relationships I was creating with those around me. The eight other volunteers that travelled around the world are some of the best most quality individuals I have ever met. Before leaving for my trip, a past volunteer told me that by the end of the week my group would feel like family. Not only was I skeptical, I flat out did not believe him; however, when the time came to say goodbye to my new best friends, I cried the whole way to airport.
One specific relationship that felt particularly life changing came from one of my guides, Hannah. Hannah had been working with GIVE for several years that this point and had recently spent the past 24 months working in Zanzibar, Tanzania on their African volunteer trip. She had worked countless African safaris and whale watching trips and the stories she would tell were nothing short of inspiring. Being only 26, she felt like an older sister and a preview of what my future could hold. She is the reason I plan to do another GIVE trip. She is the reason I am thinking about joining the Peace Corps. She is the reason I want to see and help save the world.
While I have these big hopes and aspirations, I still want to think about my future realistically. If not joining the Peace Corps, this trip has still opened my eyes to several key parts of my life that I know for a fact have been affected. For starters, as a marketing major, I have decided that I want to devote my education and degree toward sustainability. If not being involved in hands on change, I know now that it is my calling to use my voice to advocate for these rising issues. Working for a sustainable non-profit or even using my skills in social policy would allow for an outlet in which to direct these passions of mine. Coming out of college, the first aspect of my research into a potential employer is their commitment to the environment and their policies regarding CSR and triple bottom line. This has been a life changing experience that has motivated me to work toward the future I now know I need to create for myself.
