Taylor Brennan, of Montclair, New Jersey, brought a smile and a beam of hope into our inbox and we think she’ll do the same for you. Read Taylor's full email—and how travel inspired her passion for helping others—below, published with her permission. [caption id="attachment_18066" align="alignright" width="640"] Taylor with a student during her time spent on the Sacred…
Hannah Repke graduated from high school outside of Washington DC. She was accepted to the University of Virginia, but something about going straight to college didn’t feel right. Hannah recognized she was burned out, and decided to look into other options—which is the moment she fell in love with the idea of taking a gap year.…
Last month, we addressed some common fears and worries that both first time travelers and seasoned travelers alike could relate to before embarking on a new adventure. We then took this list of apprehensions and dug a bit deeper by asking our greater Rustic family for their advice. Rustic Alumni from all different years, countries, and…
We want you to meet Sasha. Sasha traveled to Cambodia and India with Rustic Pathways in 2010 and 2011, and has gone on to become an epic citizen of the world. Sasha was originally inspired by her Rustic experience in Cambodia, and now we are inspired by her. In March, Sasha invited us to…
This month, our Alumni Spotlights are two international Gap Year semester students: Zoe, hailing from north of Sydney, Australia, and Camila, from Mexico City, Mexico. In spring of 2015, Zoe joined us in Africa; traveling to Ghana, Morocco, and Tanzania. Camila traveled with us on a Gap semester in Southeast Asia in the Fall of…
This month’s spotlights are shining on three awesome girls whose programs in Morocco, India, and Thailand far exceeded their expectations. Hear about their eye-opening experiences and the connections Nabilla, Sarah, and Maggie discovered within their new environments. Nabilla traveled to Morocco with Souqs and Service as an Ambassador scholarship recipient. She had the unique experience…
This month, we're featuring Isabella, Cameron, and Maria. These three awesome Rustic alum adventured with us this past summer and shared some thoughts about what it's like to travel outside their home countries, dive into unfamiliar territory, make friends from around the world, and accomplish their biggest goals. Read on for their stories and great advice…
The year was 1995. During a free period at his Chicago high school, 15-year-old Christopher Regan sat in the audience during a Rustic Pathways presentation. He was immediately hooked. CR: They gave a quick schpiel and showed a video. It looked really, really fun. I was immediately interested, so I went home that evening and…
This month, we're featuring awesome alumni Nicole, Maddie, and Lena. They shared stories about their Rustic experiences and how they stayed involved in service long after their programs ended. Read below to hear about their adventures with Rustic, how their programs changed them, and advice they have for current and future Rustic students. What would you…
Now that summer has started and our programs are under way, Rustic alum’s Kaleigh, Tristan, and Allie share how their Rustic programs impacted them. Their reflections showcase how traveling helped them step out of their comfort zones, start a journey with an open mind, and welcome the unfamiliar. They also have some good advice for students…
Congratulations to our graduating seniors! As you finish finals and your high school careers come to a close, we hope you take a moment to congratulate yourselves on four years of hard work. With college on the horizon for many of you, we checked in with three of our graduated alums to find out how…
We hope that students get a lot out of their Rustic Pathways experience—that the impact of our programs is long lasting and far reaching. We want students to gain appreciation for a new culture, venture outside of their comfort zones and try new things, and return home with a love of learning and travel. This…
For most of our alumni, their Rustic experience doesn’t end just because their program is over. Our alumni return home and create clubs to help support their program’s community service initiatives, make videos about their experiences, start blogs—we even have a few alumni that have done TedTalks! These experiences stay with you, and have inspired…
This time of year, letters from students and parents fill our inboxes with tales of extraordinary experiences and positive impact.