Lindsey R. Crowe is 20 years old and was born in the upper east side of Manhattan, raised in The West Bronx. Lindsey has three brothers and one sister. She has played soccer for the last 16 years, and softball for 6 years. She speaks some Spanish and enjoys talking with people and learning from them. Lindsey also plays the piano and was in musical theater for 10 years. The reason that Lindsey wants to travel is to figure out where the world needs her and where she can do the best for others. The one value that this woman holds closest throughout life is life itself, and the idea that the fear of death will never hold her back. She says that people like her for being blunt with her honesty, and also that she is CRAZY!! The one person that has greatly influenced her life is her dearly departed friend Griffin. He had taught her some of life's most important lessons, and he is the one that influenced her to come on this trip and take life's opportunities by the bootstrap! Finally, Lindsey believes that people our age are trying their best to find the bliss in life even though there is so much chaos.
Nicholas Langston Hughes is 21 years old and was born and raised with his only sister, Paige, in Portland Oregon, where he has never left until this trip. Although he only speaks English he loves BMX (bike riding). skateboarding, hacky-sacking, and drinking coffee at his favorite local shop, called The Coffee House 5. He dabbles in playing instruments such as the guitar and the flute- a passion that came from the Legend of Zelda. Nick has performed poetry on stage as he is a phenomenal published poet. His dream of traveling around the world comes from his longing to change it- he specifically wants to explore New Zealand someday. These are some of the many values that guide him. He utterly wants to change the world, doing anything and everything to get there - even if it involves risking his life! What is easy to learn about Nick is that he is super kind, passionate and very spontaneous, which makes him a great asset to this program. He was extremely influenced by his freshman and sophomore history teacher, Lorraine. She was more than just a teacher to him, she became a very close friend that opened his mind to the wonders of the world that fueled his ideas and passion for change. Finally he describes the people of our age as ignorant, as everything is handed to a lot of people, and they may never get to realize how fortunate we all actually are.
Megan is a 19-year-old student that enjoys photography, skiing and writing. She is 80% fluent in Spanish, and currently resides in the beautiful city of Raleigh, North Carolina. She has 2 siblings a twin sister Sarah and a younger brother named Connor whom she loves dearly. Her past experiences include a small but pivotal role as the dog in the local production of “Annie”, and a crucial role as Fred Weasley from the infamous Harry Potter series. She finds people our age to be rather exuberant; she values friendship and is extremely loyal. Her life has been most greatly influenced by her freshmen math teacher who helped her cope with some really difficult times. Currently, she is gearing up for her service trip to Central America and could not be more exited, growing up traveling has always been a huge part of her life and furthermore it has been a part of who Megan really is.
Growing up in the suburbs of Long Valley, New Jersey, Mike, a 21- year old student, played with his older sister Beth and younger brother Matt and younger sister Emily. Mike enjoys long walks on the beach, kissing in the rain and salsa dancing. He can also speak some French. Mike wants to increase his global awareness by traveling and experiencing new cultures. Loyalty is a guiding value in Mike’s life and friends like his sense of humor. Mike’s high school advisor had influenced his life in large ways including helping him put his life in perspective. If Mike were to stand on stage for the first time and speak about people his age, He would describe them as free and wild.
Andrew is 19 years old and he was born in McMinnville, Oregon but was raised in Portland, Oregon. He has 1 step sister and his hobbies include drawing, making movies, and creating music. He speaks a little bit of Spanish and knows how to play different instruments including guitar, drums, and base. One of the reasons he wants to travel is because he wants to see different perspectives of the world. Going with the flow but choosing his pace is a strong value for him.
Nancy is 20 years old, was born in Oregon but has strong family ties to Mexico. She has two younger sisters, speaks Spanish, and enjoys drawing as well as other art forms. She also plays a little piano but its interested in learning more about how to play it. She is a good listener and is eager to experience the different cultures that South America has to offer.
Connor is a nineteen year old from Chicago who is the oldest of three. When he was younger he acted in plays and played the trumpet for four years. Currently he is savvy in fashion and pop culture and enjoys the industry of music and fashion especially. He enjoys being active in sports as well. When it comes to Connor, what people like about him is that he is easy going and therefore fun and funny. The values that guide his life are being true to himself while having and spreading positivity. The reason he has chosen to travel is to get to know the unknown and to further discover himself. From this trip he is going to be digging further into himself so that he can answer his own questions and become more in tune with his feelings/ self. He is most excited about working with sea turtles in Costa Rica.
Sophia is a nineteen years old as well, who has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past three years but is originally from Memphis, Tennessee. She spends her time with the people she loves and enjoys dancing and live musical performances, in other words, new experiences. She has performed in dance productions and middle-school band concerts on the clarinet. The outdoors is also where she finds the most peace. She is ready and eager to venture out of the United States though to explore all the realms of possibility and culture. She deeply values wisdom, consciousness, and love. So, through this trip she hopes to gain fresh knowledge of these new environments and culture. She is most stoked for working and living on Isla Ometepe learning permaculture and practicing yoga and meditation. “This whole trip will be transformational for all of us. It will give us clearer perspectives and help us become more in touch with our true selves.”
