Finding Who We Are in the Unkown

With the ability to specialize studies through AP classes in high school and an increased pressure from society, students are starting to decide what career path they are going to follow earlier and earlier.

While it can often seem like everyone has his or her life planned out, there are those who are not quite ready to commit to a plan that will determine the rest of their lives.

Geoff Merz was one of those students who was not positive about what he wanted to do, and, rather than jump straight into college, he decided to take a gap year.

“I felt a bit burned out from school, and I wanted time to experience different cultures and expand my views,” Merz said. “I basically just wanted to see things that I hadn’t seen before, to have new experiences, and to have time to learn when it wasn’t for a test.”

He also viewed the gap year as a type of investment.  He said he thought that if he took time off, he would be better prepared and motivated for college and would get more out of his four years.

During his time away from school, Merz did not just sit around thinking.  He went out and literally explored the world in an attempt to learn about the different people around him.

In the fall, he left his home in Swathmore, Pennsylvania to spend three months living with a host family in Bolivia.  During the winter, he stayed in Camden, New Jersey for two weeks.  Then, in the spring, he traveled to India for three months.

For the first time in his life, learning wasn’t based on what was taught in school or what someone told him he had to know.

“If I wanted to practice more Spanish with my home stay parents, that was up to me, there was no teacher saying you have to do this to pass an exam,” Merz said.  “That sparked my curiosity and moved me forward in a very positive way.”

Through his travels, Merz learned some Spanish and some Hindi.  He learned about different cultures and religions and how to cook cultural food.  However, in each of the places he visited, he noticed one basic thing.  He noticed the commonality between all humans.

“I saw this the most through people making jokes and laughing with each of the families I was with. They were the same jokes I’d make with my family back home,” Merz said. “Seeing that transcend every culture was incredible for me.”

Through his experiences with Catholicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, he also noticed similar themes, such as loving neighbors and compassion.

His favorite memories, though, came from the treks he took.  He said that there was something about being surrounded by nature and wearing the same clothes for ten days and smelling bad that was just so simple.

“I think my true self just came out in those days,” Merz said.

When his gap year was over and he returned back to the States, he still was not sure what he wanted to do with his life.  However, he enrolled at Penn State in the Division of Undergraduate Studies program because of the number of opportunities that the school offered, as well as the great sports program.

Now, here at University Park, Merz is using some of the lessons he learned during his gap year to affect the way he interacts with those around him.

“I feel more comfortable challenging myself and seeing the benefits that come with facing adversity,” Merz said.  His travels have also helped his comfort levels when it comes to reaching out to the international students and other students not like him.

He’s found that he is also more open-minded to what his professors have to say and what other students have to say.

His greater acceptance of people that aren’t like him has also added to the “We Are” story.

“We Are” didn’t mean much to him at first, but once he knew the history behind the chant, he started looking at it as a sign of cohesiveness, and he realized that his progress was just as important as that of his friends and the other people around him.

Merz’s willingness to explore the world, to be open-minded, and to confront challenges as an opportunity for growth enriches what I think the University wants the significance of “We Are” to mean and represent.

After all, would the majority of us be willing to admit that we don’t know something, especially if that something is what we want to do with our lives?  Furthermore, would we take that uncertainty and transform it into a chance to explore, to indulge our curiosity, and to learn more about the world around us?

Merz did, and his conclusion was this.

“If there was one thing I took away from it, that I’d want everyone to note, is that, when faced with a challenge, try to see it as an opportunity for growth and recognize the power of challenges in your life.”

 

3 thoughts on “Finding Who We Are in the Unkown

  1. Giana,

    Reading Merz’s story made me wish that I did more with my gap year. While I do not regret taking it, I could have definitely watched less reruns. I also agree that learning is so much more fruitful when it is not formally tested, and I have definitely lost interest in subjects before due to the pressures of doing well academically. Furthermore, I can definitely attest to the effectiveness of traveling in shaping my worldview, and I believe that it has made me a better person. Fortunately, being foreign, college is basically a 4-year traveling experience!

    Looking forward to your next post!

    -Daniel

  2. Giana,

    In today’s society, we feel so much pressure to follow molds and do what everyone else is doing because “that is just what everyone does.” If I had ever told my parents that I was taking a gap year, they probably would not take me seriously because it is very rare to see students do that. I must commend your friend for making such a brave decision to travel the world as it shows the immense level of maturity and courage that he possesses. I think that your friend’s story plays very well into the “We Are” story because it shows the variety of backgrounds that everyone comes from, thereby contributing to the eclectic student body that is Penn State. We may come from different places, and we will all move on to bigger opportunities; however, we also have this university that’s unites us all.
    Thanks for sharing!

    -Michael DePalma

  3. That is such an amazing experience. Honestly, I wish I took a meaningful gap year because I think it would have done wonders for my brain. Many people from my high school took gap years and I never really understood their reasoning for it but now reading your article I truly understand the significance. I never had the idea in my mind that gap years were an okay thing because my parents always stressed college so much. But your friend seems like he is having the time of his life and making memories for a lifetime! Cannot wait to read next weeks blog!

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