I am
writing this thesis as a 23 year old senior (2006) at the University of
Oregon Clarks Honor College. I am a Spanish major and Latin
American
Studies Minor, and I am also receiving my certificate in Outdoor
Leadership through the Outdoor Pursuits Program. I enjoy spending time with kids, hiking and camping, teaching, learning, traveling, laughing, speaking Spanish and so much more. I have six siblings, two amazing parents, and a large extended family that means the world to me.
I believe in social justice and multicultural awareness and I'm still trying to figure out the role I want to play in society. I have a strong ability to care, but I also make a lot of mistakes and can be very stubborn.
I think we are always learning in all ways. I am hoping that this guide helps anyone looking for a new perspective on life or education.
How It All Began:
Stepping Out: a student’s guide to education beyond the classroom began with the samba ride.
At sixteen, I spent a month in Argentina as an exchange student. I attended an all-girls Catholic school with my host sister Romina. In the process, I learned how to kiss someone hello on both cheeks, learned that in some places there is no legal age for drinking, learned how to dance to cumbia, learned to be uncomfortable, and learned culture shock.
The biggest culture shock came during La Fiesta de los Imigrantes, a festival celebrating the different countries with emigrants in Argentina; it was actually an excuse to drink typical alcoholic beverages from around the world. I walked around alone, scared and missing home. After twice being puked on, I decided I had had enough. It was then Romina came up to me and shouted, “Vamos Kate, es la samba!"
La samba was a circular ride with a bench all around the edge. It spun in circles, tilting up and down. Samba music played while everyone tried to stagger to the middle of the circle and dance to the music. No one ever succeeded; the ride slung you in circles, knocking you over if you attempted to stand up.
The sensations are overwhelming on the samba ride: bright green, blue, purple lights shining down on you; scratchy music blaring through the speakers; the faint, yet sour smell of liquor on everyone’s breath; shrieking girls; sticky shoes covered in still-wet puke; and, in the distance, hundreds of drunken people celebrating and living.
Laughing with Romina on the samba, I realized how it epitomized my time in Argentina. The slight nausea, the unknown, and finally the joy that comes from not being in control. I realized then that I could embrace my time there: embrace the chaos and the fun and the uncertainty, and not try to fight it. Maybe I’d get knocked down, but in the end, it’s all part of the ride.
It was then I learned that sometimes it is only by stepping out of your comfort zone that you can expand it. Up until that point, most of my life had been that of a typical US suburban high schooler, surrounded by people who in many ways thought and acted like I did. In Argentina, I gained perspective. I saw a different way of living and was able to examine my life from this new viewpoint. I also learned how others saw my way of life. At first I was uncomfortable, but as soon as I decided to embrace the newness and differences I suddenly had that many more experiences and vantage points to draw from.
Stepping Out is a resource guide for those who want to experience the samba. It is a compilation of educational experiences that, at times, may feel like a samba ride. Ideally, it will be a helping hand, a form of support for students seeking education beyond the classroom.
Stepping Out is geared to students of any age, but specifically high school and college students. It contains the who, what, when, why, and how of taking time off of school. It is designed to help students looking for educational opportunities outside of the classroom. Beyond giving general advice about taking time off of school, Stepping Out will include specific information on different programs you can participate in. I have looked hard to find programs with little or no fee, as well as programs that do not come up with a google search. (Plenty of opportunities are out there; the problem is when you search for them the ones that come up are usually the ones that charge a large fee.)
Why this Guide and Why as a Website?
There are a number of students who have taken time off school or are planning to. And, in my experience, there is an equal amount of students who want to, but aren’t exactly sure how or what to do. Stepping Out is designed to serve as both an inspiration and tool for these students.
My desire for a guide like this came senior year of high school. I was a typical over-achieving high school student and applied to five colleges, all out of state. Spring of my senior year I realized I was completely burnt-out on school. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, I was tired of being in the classroom, and I felt like I needed something different.
I decided to take a year off of school; to work, travel, and volunteer abroad. I went to the bookstore, hoping to find information on what I could do. I couldn’t find anything. I searched online, but mostly found the “pay $2000 for this three week opportunity to volunteer abroad” programs. That wasn’t what I wanted. I ended up spending a portion of my time in England. Walking around a bookstore there, I found an entire section on “gap-year”. There was book after book about taking time off, how to finance it, why you should do it, and programs available.
I wish we had more books like that here. (Currently I have been able to find one gap year book published in the U.S.: Taking Time Off, published by the Princeton Review) I strongly believe in taking time off of school and wish their were more resources available for it. So I decided to put information out there. The reason this is a website and not a book is that I believe in this day and age it is easier to reach more students via the internet.
I also realize it is a luxury to step out of school. The whole notion of "stepping out" assumes one has the means to pursue higher education in the first place. I want to highlight this fact because I think it is important to remember if one decides to take time off school.
I know that I was lucky in my ability to step out. I had parents that were 100% supportive of me stepping out of school. They helped me out emotionally and financially, encouraging me to do what I felt was best. Since I have graduated from high school, I have taken two years “off”, working, traveling, studying abroad, and volunteering. I also know that not everybody is that lucky. I am hoping that this guide can help students looking for extra support, ideas, and inspiration.
My experiences stepping out have made me who I am today. They opened my eyes to different ways of living, they exposed me to the disparity of wealth globally, they taught me to think about my place in the world, they ignited in me a passion for social justice and cross-cultural communication, they gave me confidence in myself, and they exposed me to myriad forms of learning. I learned that even though we are all unique as humans, at the end of the day, I can have a connection with anyone. Cliché as it is: we all laugh and cry and breathe and care and love and live and die.
Why as a thesis?
Some of you may be wondering: why is your biggest academic project of college about why one shouldn’t be in school? Isn’t that contradictory in some way? On the contrary, writing this thesis is an accumulation of everything I’ve learned both in school and out of school. I believe that taking time off of school complements classroom learning; it does not replace it.
This project is a manifestation of my passion for learning outside the classroom, utilizing tools and skills I’ve learned within the classroom. Those tools and skills include clear writing, strong organization, networking, editing, working with a deadline, and independent thought and study.
In many ways, this is not a traditional thesis. It does not involve extensive academic research, nor have I thought up and initiated a scientific experiment. However, it does involve a lot of original research, finding programs and jobs and possibilities that are less well-known, yet valuable.
Probably the most important reason this is my thesis is because I am passionate about it. “Whole education” involves hands-on experience outside the classroom; it involves getting out of the academic bubble and learning from the world. It complements academia to make us well-rounded people.
Special Thanks
There are many people I want to thank for helping me with this thesis. Special thanks to my Honors College advisor Pr. Schuman. When I first told her what I wanted to do (after hearing I probably wouldn't get approval to do this) she told me "I think that's a great idea!" It was exactly what I needed to hear.
I also want to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Daniel Close from the College of Education, who agreed to advise me before knowing who I am. I admire all the work he does and his advocacy for service-learning; it is an honor to work with him.
I would like to thank Clarice Wilsey, Associate Director of the University of Oregon Career Center, for all her help and support. She went out of her way and I really appreciate all that she has done for me with this project. Additionally, I would like to thank the Clark Honors College and Pr. Richard Kraus for giving me the go-ahead on this thesis.
Thank you to all the people who have given their time and allowed me to interview them for this project. Their testimonials, interviews, and suggestions provide the substance of this website. I also want to thank my brother Matthew Koehler for all his technical help. Otherwise, you'd never be reading this. I want to thank my other siblings as well (Damien, Anneliese, Mohan, William, and Richard), to avoid accusation of playing favorites. They're all the best.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who's believed in me and inspired me. Specifically my nana who is a perfect example of what it means to be a lifelong learner. I appreciate her constant curiosity and zest for life. And, most importantly, my parents because they are amazing role models and unbelievably supportive. I am grateful that they let me get on a plane at age sixteen to head to Argentina alone. I am fairly certain my dad's "Be good" and my mom's "Have fun" carried me through seven months in Europe alone. They are amazing examples of loving, supportive parents.
