Carol Smith, a faculty member in the Department of Health and Human Performance, and Elizabeth Coder, assistant director of New Student & Transition Programs and coordinator of Gap Programs, facilitated an abbreviated orientation program, similar to what incoming first-year students will encounter when they arrive on campus later this week.

消消犯 learned about the Elon Honor Code, academic expectations, campus resources and engaged learning.

消消犯 also met their NOLS instructors, who will guide them throughout the Expedition. NOLS instructors will train the Gap students in leadership, environmental science and outdoor living skills. 消消犯 learned about the equipment they will need out in the back country, prepared their food rations, and packed their backpacks in preparation for their departure on Aug. 14. 

Gap students also participated in their very own New Student Convocation under the oaks at City Park in Lander, Wyoming, complete with letters of welcome from Elon President Leo M. Lambert and VIce President for Student Life and Dean of 消消犯 Smith Jackson. 

Throughout their 26-day Leadership Expedition, Gap students will hike about 75 miles through the Wind River Mountain Range in western Wyoming. After completing their NOLS course in early September, the cohort will embark on the second phase of their Gap Experience with four weeks of service-learning in South Dakota, Missouri, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. 

The members of the 2015 Gap cohort are: Henry Bost, Marta Djalleta, Anthony Fraden, Annie Gordon, Laurie Heggedal, Nathan Hunnicutt, Jack Kapes, Elizabeth McDonald, Lyn Nelson, Andrew Novinski, Krisandra Provencher, Jill Salvucci, Gabe Thornton, Eliza Upton and Marin Williams. 

In total, approximately 79 miles were hiked through scenic fields, over boulders, around lakes and to the tops of mountains. 消消犯 learned about their leadership styles, how to work with others, Leave No Trace principles, and how to live comfortably in the wilderness, among other life lessons. They also examined their environment as they hiked their course, learning about edible and medical plants, other plants native to the area and which ones to stay away from for various reasons.

 “I have had a great time with NOLS and I think every last one of us has grown from this experience,” freshman Riley Aparicio writes. “NOLS has taught me that personal growth is a never-ending process.”

Freshman Muriel Zino adds that she has “a new found confidence in (her) own abilities and skills.”

Upon preparing to finish the expedition, Laura Brockington writes: “We had to wake up at 5 this morning so we could be at the trailhead in time for the bus.  It was an incredibly bittersweet hike because we all knew it was the end.  I’m so sad to be leaving the wilderness and our instructors but I can’t wait to continue on this journey, especially since I’ll still be with my Gap family.”

消消犯 will be joined by faculty and staff over the next 5.5 weeks to travel across the country performing week long service projects while learning about the changing issues facing our country.

With stops planned in South Dakota, Missouri, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C.,

Follow our experience on facebook (Elon Gap Semester Program) and twitter (@ElonGapPrograms)

消消犯 will spend 24 days on a wilderness expedition focused on leadership, teamwork, outdoor skills, and environmental ethics with the National Outdoor Leadership School. After the students complete their NOLS course, they will see the country as they travel to four different U.S. cities to complete week-long service learning projects. 消消犯 will finish the semester in a 6-week study abroad homestay program in Costa Rica.

消消犯 worked most mornings on an urban farm to maintain the farm and harvest food. In the afternoons, the students worked on projects including packing backpacks for school children to ensure they have enough food to last through weekends, repurposing food with the 消消犯 Kitchen program at Saint Louis University, and preparing fresh food and fulfilling requests for people with HIV/AIDS or cancer.

Over the course of the week, students saw food grown and harvested, packaged non-perishable goods, cooked fresh food, repurposed excess and close to expired food and bought food at a local farmer’s market.

As they left Missouri, the students reflected on their experience. Below are excerpts from those reflections:

“I was lucky enough to work with a very friendly and talkative woman named Francine one day while harvesting kale. When we went to the farmer’s market later in the week, one of my fellow students told me that Francine had been asking for me. I went over to see her at the City Seeds booth and she talked about how great of a time she had working with me.”

– Kelly Maxwell writes about a connection made with a client at City Seeds Urban Farm (client’s name has been changed).

“At Food Outreach our group prepared meals and filled grocery orders for patients suffering from HIV/AIDS or cancer. Food Outreach provides this food and other basics to people who might otherwise be going hungry without them. This was an important learning experience for me because I had never thought about how many things are changed for people with diseases like this. It was an eye-opening experience to see how many things in their life are made so much more difficult, on top of having to deal with the disease that they have. It is so great that an organization like Food Outreach is available to these people to take a burden off of their shoulders for food bills and let them focus on other things in their life that they have to worry about.”

– Caitlin Noll reflects on her day at Food Outreach

“I was not sure what to expect when we went to Shaw Elementary. I knew we were going to help out the students but I was not positive about how we would be helping out. When we got there and I saw the opportunity to read to the kids, I jumped right on it. As soon as we started reading, I learned how much were influencing each other’s lives. These kids may not have known it, but they were learning a lot with these books and the interactions they were having in the gardens. They were at least starting with the ideas of eating healthy, gardening, and composting. Some of which, like composting, I had not even learned about in elementary school. These little kids were influencing me in ways they had no idea. At one point a little boy came up to me and gave me a hug after we finished reading. My heart was racing and I was happier than I could remember in a long time. It made me feel really good.”

– Chris Grippo

“Overall, the diverse food-related conditions in the St. Louis area provide a platform for studying food and food-related issues in the United States. I have concluded a few things: many are hungry, many have more than enough, many are undereducated, many have the potential to make a difference. The most important lesson learned in St. Louis, however, is that food is a very powerful thing. It is a teacher, it unites unlikely neighbors, sustains many, tempts many, and brings many comfort. At its core, food is good. It is simple and good. Many are in need of this simple goodness.”

– Cat Hollister
 

The 15 students spent a week volunteering with RE-MEMBER, a non-profit organization that works with the Oglala Lakota Nation on Pine Ridge Reservation.

RE-MEMBER staff and volunteers work together to build bunk beds, repair roofs and other projects that give back to Pine Ridge and build relationships with the Oglala Lakota people.

During the week with RE-MEMBER Elon students stripped old shingles off the roof of the local radio station in preparation for the instillation of a solar array that will help reduce the station’s energy bill. The Lakota Country Times newspaper wrote an article about the Gap Semester students’ help on the project.

Next up, the students spend a week volunteering in St. Louis. While en route to the next destination, students reflected on their experience. Their remembrances are shared below:

“Listening to the Oglala Lakotas tell stories that had been passed down to them is an experience you could never receive reading a book in a classroom.” — Kelly Maxwell

“I learned so much about the graciousness and forgiveness of the people that we interacted with, and for me, the quote that stands out is ‘mitakuye oyasin,’ which translates to ‘we are all related’.” — Andrew Reed

“The Lakota people are survivors: they have faced, and continue to face, profound adversity and continuously rise up to stand for what they believe to be true. They have a lot to be proud of and a culture worth saving and deserving of growth.” — Cat Hollister

“When you take a step back and take a second to appreciate where you are and what you are doing, you will learn more about yourself and your surroundings than you will ever think possible.” — Corey Shegda

“The truth will always lie buried in the depths of the unknown and untouchable. As we continue to live and expose ourselves directly to different situations, our experiences, observations and emotions allow us to form our own truths that are real to us.” — Rachel Pileggi

“I had an amazing time and experience working with the strong-willed Oglala Lakota people. Their strength and attitude towards constant adversity will have a positive effect on me for the rest of my life. The wisdom and respect they have and share is truly inspiring.” – -Billy Kelly

“We learned the things that weren’t in the history books.” — Savannah Kittrell

“We learned so much about Native American culture that connected with our own culture. But we also learned new lessons that we can work into our own lives.” — Zachary Angell

“Anything we are doing will change everything.” — Evan Spanitz

“Even the smallest things can have the biggest impact.” — Sarah Krulewitz

“Kili Wicasa. (Awesome Man)?” –Chris Grippo

“At RE-MEMBER I learned about the traditions and values that the Oglala Lakota follow in their daily lives.” – Caitlin Noll

“The more you put into a project, the more you will get out of it so make sure to put all your effect into things no matter how small the project might be.” – Danny Bavis

“There was such a sense of accomplishment of starting and finishing a project that you know would be beneficial, and I’m so grateful that I was given the opportunity to help the Lakota people.” – Galen Schneider
 

Freshmen in 消消犯’s inaugural have completed the first segment of their studies at the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming.

消消犯 spent three weeks in the Absaroka Mountain range where they earned four semester hours of credit in environmental ethics and leadership. Additionally, as part of the leadership curriculum, students were challenged to thrive in the wilderness as teams and develop in areas such as:

Self awareness: Acknowledge personal skills and abilities, seek peer feedback, function without need for reassurance, and critique past experiences, among other goals.

Team dynamics: These include establishing healthy relationships, managing interpersonal conflicts effectively and seeking help from others when needed.

Leadership: Demonstrate skills in guiding and assisting a group, exhibit democratic principles as a leader or group member, and communicate a vision, mission, or purpose that encourages commitment and action in others

“I am so glad I am here. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” said Elon freshman Corey Shegda. “I am excited to share more days out in the wilderness with such great people. I am learning numerous qualities from leadership skills to outdoor ethics and I can honestly say I feel I am growing as a person.”

Elon and NOLS partnered to create a unique trek for the GAP program that integrated the two curricula. NOLS facilitators and Elon Gap Coordinator Steve Morrison traveled with the students as they hiked 80 plus miles.

Rex Waters, associate dean of students, traveled to NOLS to greet the team and join them for the first service week. “It quickly became clear that while these were the same students I had met three weeks earlier, they had definitely changed,” Waters said. “The group had progressed and they functioned quite well. Their successful completion of the trek had created a definite bond and a sense of confidence individually and collectively was evident. I enjoyed observing the relationships that were developing and the ease with which the group moved, made decisions and supported each other.

消消犯 said that group developed a sense of unity during their outdoor leadership experiences. “The fifteen of us definitely evolved from a group to a team,” said Elon freshman Dan Zangmeister.

Meredith Smith, associate director of admissions, visited with the students when they arrived back in Lander.

“Seeing the students at the end of the NOLS experience was truly inspiring,” Smith said. “It was amazing to see how much these students had learned, and had changed their own lives, in a matter of weeks with each other.

“It just goes to show how something so different, and unique, can truly impact someone’s life and their future. It was definitely a proud moment for me to be standing there with the students that I had been interviewing over the phone just a few months prior.”