In her first year at Explo, this soccer-playing, classical-music making, and Mandarin-speaking student shares her passions and hopes for the summer.
One of the biggest things that Explo has taught me so far is to think outside the box. Because you don’t really know a lot of people going into the classes, people are so open to new and crazy ideas and won’t ever judge you for it, so it’s a lot easier to be creative and expressive, no matter how ridiculous it may seem!
Like my interior decorating class, for example! We’re designing a house and we get to make whatever we want, really! We also have these crazy challenges. Like, we’re making this room completely dedicated to ducks! It’s so much fun. We also get to design a wedding, which is something I’d never think I’d be able to do.
...people are so open to new and crazy ideas and won’t ever judge you for it, so it’s a lot easier to be creative and expressive, no matter how ridiculous it may seem!
An interesting fact about myself is that I speak Mandarin. My grandparents used to live with us when I was little and they taught us all about the language and the culture, so it’s been something I’ve always known. Being able to speak another language has be really helpful here at Explo, because I’m able to communicate with new friends from all around the world! I can imagine that it’s hard to meet people if you’re not comfortable with another language — unless you really put yourself out there — so I’m really lucky to be able to talk with people from China and connect them with friends from the United States.
If I could give someone a piece of advice for their first year of Explo, I’d tell them to pick a class that’s new. You might be afraid to want to try something that you’re not so comfortable with, but I guarantee you’re going to end up loving it. This is the time and the place to explore new things, so go for it!
Jaryd Frankel