Where most college-bound students look forward to orientation and the beginning of their freshman college experience, I am deferring. I got into my top choice schools and even into honors, but I need a year, a gap to further my maturity and discipline. Although it’s hard to admit, my ability to make wise, well-informed, adult decisions is severely lacking. One might say “every teenager struggles to make wise decisions,” and although that may be true, I feel that combined with my young age calls for an extra year sans school, sans schoolwork, and sports stress.
On top my apparent need for time off from school, this gap year will be nothing if not exciting, fun, and challenging. I will participate in a few internships in fields that I am interested in pursuing in college. This includes an internship at the functional genomics lab at the University of Texas at Dallas, a marketing internship with my basketball trainer/marketing professional, and another business/marketing internship with my father. In addition to internships, I will continue my current job at the YMCA making money and developing both my conversation skills and my ability to communicate with, teach, and have fun with kids of all ages. I will continue to develop my athletic ability and basketball skill as I pursue the possibility of playing division III basketball. Finally, I will continue to volunteer as a middle school and high school youth group leader and worship leader at my church.
I plan on using this time well and taking it for everything it is worth. It will be a time of maturity, knowledge gaining, experience gaining, and personal developing physically, mentally, and spiritually.
J. Fletcher Brown 