BrookeHerdzina

This summer, many Marian girls were given once-in-a-lifetime experiences. From the mountains of Colorado, to South America, students had meaningful and life changing experiences that were undoubtedly bucket list worthy. 

Senior Ashley Mercer had been riding horses for years, but this summer she was offered a unique opportunity that she couldn’t pass up. Mercer was given the chance to become a working student at a barn in Colorado. 

Becoming a working student meant that she would spend her time helping the horses in the barn in between and after lessons, and in turn, she would get more horse riding practice and hands-on experience. 

This trip was also monumental because Mercer would be completely independent for the entirety of it. 

She would travel by herself to Colorado, and live and work alongside the barn owners. 

For many young riders in the horse world, these working student experiences are important in order to establish themselves as riders and form connections. They also teach the riders how to handle and maintain the horses. 

This trip not only helped Mercer’s horse riding skills, but it also helped her grow as a person, and learn more about herself. “This summer gave me so much confidence in my own independence, both living alone and sitting with my thoughts,” Mercer said. 

The trip helped her to grow more comfortable with doing activities independently and being okay with alone time. 

The trip gave her time to truly learn about herself without life’s everyday distractions. 

Although this trip was centered around horse riding, the most important takeaway for Mercer was a more universal truth: “The most vital lesson I learned was to find fulfillment and purpose in one’s self.” 

This was truly a bucket list experience for Mercer as it was a chance to experience full independence, while providing the perfect atmosphere for personal growth and reflection. It also helped her to pave the way for her future and spend time doing what she is passionate about. 

Senior Madison Keasling was joined by 43 other Marian girls on the summer trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in early June. 

This trip featured adventurous activities such as ziplining and white water rafting, and displayed the incredible ecosystems and culture present in South America. 

For some girls on the trip, this experience ignited a spark for travel. “This trip really solidified that I want to travel to more places outside of the United States,” Keasling said.

This trip was also thought provoking and challenged pre-existing world views. Keasling said, “This trip made me realize just how different places are.” 

It is easy for many to become enclosed in a fixed view of the world, therefore these trips are vital because they help to question these viewpoints. “Without this trip, I would’ve never thought to go to these places, but now I hope to go to more,” she admitted.

Both of these trips, Colorado and Ecuador, helped Mercer and Keasling to not only learn about the world, but about themselves. This summer they were able to cross these experiences off of their bucket lists and now will have these memories forever.