" Working with mentally challenged adults in Auckland was the best decision. I am so pleased I chose this option as it exceeded everything I expected. The staff made it really special and knew how to put my skills to work for their community. I liked the fact that I could mentor and hang out with a small number of residents. That allowed me to get to know some of them really well and to learn how to help them as best I could. My first day I was a bit overwhelmed as some of the community faces some severe challenges. But each day I learned that everyone just get’s on with life the best they can and we all do our part as a community to help. I was amazed on my last day there that the staff actually baked me a cake and threw a party for me. I will always treasure that memory.”

- Clarissa T.

“Working with young kids is really a passion of mine. I have worked at a number of camps as a counselor and have studied early childhood education. Working at a daycare in a different country is a great way to meet the community and learn  how different governments regulate things. And the kids are kids just like anywhere so that is always fun. They gave me the freedom to use some of the skills I came into the job with and to run my own sessions with the kids. The facility was really clean and  well-organized and my supervisor was a real professional.”

- Alana E.

“Thomas and Community Circus were great. Thomas used to be a performer in Europe and he brings amazing knowledge on how to entertain a crowd. They made things really fun for the kids and that rubbed off onto the staff as well. Even though I had never used circus props before I caught on quickly and was able to teach the participants. Riding the unicycle and spinning plates on a stick was old school cool. I liked setting up for big events as well. Everyone is running around making sure all is just right. And when a group comes through and has a great time it is very rewarding. These guys are an important part of this community and have won awards for what they do. It was really a privilege to learn from them and meet so many kids from the area.” 

- Isabelle B.

"It was such a pleasure working with you these past few weeks, I learned so much and have acquired so many skills that I am looking forward to using in the future. I have had the best time here and have met so many amazing people—I am very sad to leave tomorrow but am happy I am leaving with such great experiences to tell my family and friends back home. Thank you so much for granting me this great opportunity. I wish you the best on all your journeys and future groups so far, this truly is a special program and I cannot imagine having spent the first semester of my gap year any other way."

- Olivia H.

"Interning in the Macquarie University Marine Lab in Sydney was awesome! It was a mix of lab work and getting out to do fun things. In the lab we monitored reef fish behavior and how changing their environments effected them. I did some computer modeling and recorded the scientist’s findings. One of the highlights of the field work was releasing sharks into the wild. We traveled to a research station on a really neat bay and I was waste deep in the water letting them go.”

- Sam G.

"As an editorial intern for the premier Wellington, New Zealand Political Newspaper the primary focus of my job was covering the national elections in New Zealand and the United States. As a journalism student at Arizona State University, I was eager to understand the structure of a news organization in another country. The paper specializes in providing the public with news directly from the source — publishing press releases from various organizations. They also host live video and audio feeds of Parliament. While taping legislative hearings, I was struck by the intimacy of my access to New Zealand’s government. I also traveled extensively around the North and South islands. One cultural highlight was my stop at Rotorua, a town several hours north of Wellington. I visited a Maori village and learned about their historical way of life. These cultural explorations were equally important in rounding out my overall experience."

- Leah

"“I wanted to work with an archaeologist on preserving Aboriginal sites. I got a chance to work in a really fun beach town called Manly. The office had a small museum with ancient boomerangs, stone tools, and rare photos of the tribes that used to live in the area. The exciting part of my job was going into the field with the archaeologist to map some of the rock art paintings around Sydney. We hiked along a coastline and found some really cool handprints and images. Other jobs included going to schools and presenting about Aboriginal history to the kids. Archeology work is not all glamor. There were also days working with staff on the computers cataloging their collections and preparing presentations.” 

- Dakota J.

"“Working with the premier netball facility in the country was a immersion into a first rate organization. Netball is like basketball but you don’t dribble the ball. It’s more of a passing game. It’s huge down here and we could have over a thousand people playing on the many courts we managed. I assisted the Marketing Director with a plan to increase our sponsorships with local businesses. I really enjoyed meeting local people in the community. I am going to major in economics and know a lot about analyzing companies so they trusted me to look at their books and make suggestions. I found a way for them to increase revenues by managing their massive parking lot differently. It was great that they trusted me enough to go over their internal documents and help them.” 

- Will R.

“I really had fun at the animal park in Auckland. My job was to showcase some of the animals for the visitors. We handled domestic animals like lambs and goats which the kids really liked. But we also got to show off the iguanas and work in the butterfly garden. My supervisor was really nice and had amazing experience working in different zoos. I liked meeting people from around the world. It was a fun experience and I recommend it to anyone who likes animals.”

- Elliot R.