Friday, September 9, 2011

Upward Bound Students Sail Aboard Adventuress

By Keith Van Essen
Upward Bound Counselor

For three years now, Adventuress, a beautifully restored wooden schooner, has been home for 5 days/4 nights to a variety of Upward Bound participants, students who come from low-income families and will be the first generation in their families to attend college.

Getting out of Seattle for an adventure such as this is a once in a lifetime experience for UB students; many of them rarely even venture beyond the borders of their own neighborhood or city.  This year, two Upward Bound students, Alazar and Vivian, jumped at the opportunity to take part in this sailing adventure through the San Juan Islands.  Both of them had only positive things to say.

Alazar wrote, “I was able to see unique animals such as Orcas and Seals, and I hiked up to a huge lighthouse where I could overlook the beautiful Puget Sound.  The entire trip was an amazing experience!”

Vivian noted, “My trip on the Fantastic Voyage was amazing!  I learned so much like the names of the sails and ropes on the ship, the JKL (Orca) pods, and I learned some history of the San Juan Islands.  I definitely made some great long lasting friend and would love to go back again and again!”

Our students will forever be impacted by this experience as their minds and hearts have been enriched by this outdoor, experiential, team-building experience.  A HUGE thank you goes out to the generous staff of Sound Experience who for 3 years now have invited our Upward Bound students to come aboard the Adventuress and benefit from an amazing experience on the Puget Sound.

Sincere thanks,

Keith Van Essen
Upward Bound Counselor