While other seniors were enjoying the snow day or grudgingly working on homework, on Feb 1 Jenny Pierce purchased a plane ticket that would take her halfway across the world. Pierce, senior, will be taking a year off before college to work at a boarding school in Australia.
Unsure of what she was looking to pursue in college or later in life, Pierce decided to take a year to learn more about herself and hopefully find a path to follow.
“I really wanted to experience something different and not do the normal thing by going to college right after high school,” Pierce said.
The school that Pierce will work at is called Huntingtower School, located in Melbourne, Australia. The school is for kids from preschool to twelfth grade, and Pierce will be working as a teacher’s assistant for either first or second graders. After learning about the trip through her uncle in August of 2010, she applied and was accepted into the program in October.
“I think the transition will probably be hard,” Pierce said. “I know that it’s not going to be great when I first get down there, but that will just be the beginning, and over time dealing with things will get easier.”
Her parents are relieved to know that she will have a permanent living situation at the school dorms. However, they are not anxious to be experiencing empty nesting for the first time.
“We made sure to get a laptop with a camera, so she can keep in touch and Skype with family,” Carolyn Pierce, Jenny’s mom, said.
Aside from the challenge being oceans away from family and friends, Pierce will have to adapt to the culture and master the Australian dialect. Though there are many different slang terms popular among teenas and locals, Pierce learned from a group of Australian exchange students that nobody ever uses the terms “crikey” or “matey.” A benefit of the program is the opportunity to travel on school trips to other parts of Australia, and Pierce also hopes to visit New Zealand as well during their summer break. She plans on making a trip to Sydney as well as to the Uluru Rock in Alice Springs.
“I actually just bought a tour guide book a few weeks ago. I’m kind of obsessed with it now,” Pierce said.
Without a specific date in mind, Pierce will most likely return in July of 2012 and begin college in the fall. She applied to schools already to avoid the stress of figuring out her situation while abroad and should be able to begin her college experience immediately after she returns. While it is the non-traditional approach to the post-graduation process, the college counselors are willing to offer suggestions and make resources available to interested students.
“It’s always at the back of students’ minds. There’s a sense of adventure in doing something new and unfamiliar,” Abby Peterson, college counselor, said. “It’s not for everyone, but as long as you make an educated decision and clear it with your family, it can be great to figure out what you want to do.”
According to Pierce, one of the hardest parts about her upcoming trip is the uncertainty of having no familiar faces around, as the position she secured typically only takes one or two people from all over the world.
“I’m just really excited to just meet a bunch of new people and get out of my comfort zone, experience new things and hopefully figure out what I want to do with my life,” Pierce said.
