“Now I see myself as a person who is willing to try new things- a more confident version of myself. I truly believed the service trip did me a service. I cannot imagine living life without this experience.”

Patricia traveled with Mary Lyon Pilot High School to South Dakota. She was nervous about the trip because she had never traveled without family and she considered herself a reserved person who didn’t enjoy trying new things. Once the plane actually landed and she met the Native American people she was staying with, her nerves vanished and were replaced with excitement at all the new people she got to meet and the indigenous traditions she came to respect. The things she learned and the relationships she formed on the trip will stay with her through the coming important years of her life.

“After leaving my own bubble and opening up to what the real world has to offer, I changed forever. The service trip taught me how to be courageous, humble, genuine, and kind.”