Fifteen seniors. Two teachers. Three countries. Over 113,240 miles travelled in total. One summer.

These 15 seniors, as well as English teachers Jose Rosario and Justine Rutigliano, travelled to Ecuador, Nicaragua or the Dominican Republic and each spent between two and three weeks in a foreign country doing sustainable service work and experiencing a new way of life with the program Global Glimpse.

Senior Miguel Gallegos traveled to Bonao in the Dominican Republic.

“Going into it I thought ‘well I’m going to be really rich in experiences and stories,’ and I was very excited to work with the people,” Gallegos said. “It was rewarding because even though we come from different worlds, we’re still the same, we’re all people. It sounds cliche and all that, but the fact that we could share that humanity aspect of it all was really important to me as an individual and I know for a lot of my peers.”

Students participated in a variety of education days that centered around topics including global business, indigenous cultures, politics and poverty. For the educational day focused on poverty, students visited a local dump and interacted with the people who scavenge there for a living.

“They told us ‘We’re about to go and see people in a place you’d never imagine people live, and we don’t want you to dehumanize them, we don’t want you to pity them and we certainly don’t want you to walk out thinking you’re responsible for this. This isn’t about guilt and this is not about pity. This is about awareness,’ and I thought that was really really powerful,” said Rosario. “I thought I had an understanding of privilege.”

Participants also taught English classes and did service projects that ranged from refurbishing a preschool to creating a rabbit sanctuary and garden and were meant to directly address the community’s needs and have a lasting positive impact.

Some seniors plan to apply to become Global Glimpse ambassadors and support the next wave of travellers. This was Sequoia’s first year partnering with Global Glimpse, and Rosario hopes to see the program continue.

“I want this to be contagious, this feeling of appreciation and this feeling of responsibility to change your habits,” said Rosario. “My hope is that this not only becomes a permanent staple of the sequoia experience that 11th graders hope to be a part of, but I also want this to be something people talk about.”

The program costs from $500 to $3,500 depending on financial need, and fundraising takes place throughout the school year leading before the trip.

“There’s ways to fundraise if it’s the money that’s holding you back,” Gallegos said. “Opportunities are out there, and this is a great one. You just got to take advantage of those opportunities because if you don’t they just slip on by and you miss it. Don’t be the person who missed it.”