Student Feature Friday - Nipmuc Students to Travel to Belize

For more than ten years, Nipmuc has partnered with World Challenge Expeditions to offer students opportunities to travel, broaden their horizons, and develop their leadership abilities through service. This year fourteen Nipmuc students - accompanied by teachers Megan Brazil and Courtney Leja - will become the next cohort of students to experience this life changing adventure. In just a few weeks, our travelers will depart for Belize on a trip that will take them to the jungle, the mountains, the pine forests, and the islands. Perhaps most importantly, our students will also have the chance to make a difference by working to refurbish a school in Belize. I had the chance to ask our students about their summer adventure and what to look forward to in the weeks to come.

What are you most excited about for your upcoming trip with World Challenge?

Aleah Castonguay - I'm most excited to explore the country of Belize and be able to learn about their culture and interact with the people because their main language is English. Last time I went on a World Challenge trip, it was to Costa Rica and I was unable to communicate because they only spoke Spanish.

Alex Chu - I'm most excited to spend time with my friends in a foreign place. Not only am I going to one of the most beautiful places in the world but I get to go there with my friends.

Carly Egan - I'm excited to be able to see the world from a different view than I have now. It's going to be a challenge stepping out of what is comfortable, but life isn't supposed to always be comfortable and that's the thrilling part.

Collin Flanagan - I'm bringing a soccer ball to first play with everyone on the trip, and also to play with the local kids while taking a break from helping build/repair/renovate their school. I'm very excited for that.

Jesse Godfrey - There are two things I'm very excited for this trip.  One is to be able to hang out with my friends like Jason, Jack, and Carly in a new place I have never been.  But I'm also excited to be able to learn about their culture like the food they cook.

Max Martyak – I’m excited for the chance to go out of the country and experience living in an entirely new environment for two weeks.

John McCarthy – I’m excited to see the smiles on their faces when we finish our work with their elementary school and make it a place they are happy to go to.

Jason McKenzie - I'm excited for the treks, helping with the schools and children, and the warm weather.

Cooper Offord - I am most excited about the new experiences that I will have. I am excited to be in a foreign country and know that I will learn many lessons that will better me as a person on my trip.

Dallas O’Hagan - I am very excited to be able to travel to a third world country and being able to give back. On this trip I will be able to experience new cultures and a different way of living that I am not familiar with. This will allow me to become a well-diversed individual and prepare me for later difficulties I will face in life by collaborating with others and aiding others in need.

Diana Richard - I am so excited to visit a different country and go on and epic adventure with the group I'm in. I'm very much looking forward to help build a school and hike through the rain forest.

Max Robakiewicz - I'm most excited about experiencing a new culture and views in Belize. I think it is going to be fun to try the new foods and hike in the jungle. I think it's going to be a great experience and I'm excited to spend it with friends.

Ben Thomsen – I am most excited about hiking through the jungle of Belize.  I’ve been hiking before but hiking through a Belize jungle will be very different than the mountains in New Hampshire.

Noah Tolliver - I think it's going to be an exciting experience all around; it will be very interesting to learn about other cultures and experience the lives of other people around the world.