Student spotlight
Student Spotlight: How Lisa’s First Trip Led to Another (and Another, and Another, and Another)
Sarah McLaughlin | April 20, 2018
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From discovering her passion for travel to embarking on her dream career, Lisa was lucky to have a mentor to help her find her way. It all started when she was a high school student in Mr. Ossler’s history and government and law classes, and later, a student traveler on one of his EF tours to Italy and Greece. Fast-forward to the present day and Lisa’s not only a chaperone on Mr. Ossler’s EF tours, she’s also his coworker, changing lives as a history teacher in the same school where she once took lessons.
“Mr. Ossler inspired me to become a history teacher,” she explains. “As a teacher, you’re always helping. Mr. Ossler made me like school, so I wanted to do that for other children as well. If I can inspire somebody to do something so great with their life—like he did for me—then I’ve done something right.”
In addition to motivating her to become a history teacher, Lisa also credits Mr. Ossler with sparking her lifelong love of travel. “After that first EF tour in 2008, I couldn’t get enough,” she laughs. “I’ve gone on Mr. Ossler’s tours almost every year since.” She loves that these experiences allow her to meet new people, bond with her fellow travelers, and open her eyes to the different ways people live all around the world.
Eventually, Lisa transitioned from a student traveler to an EF tours chaperone. Her international trips had helped her realize the importance of slowing down and being in the moment, and she wanted to pass this knowledge along to younger students. “I wanted to show kids how to travel,” she explains. “I wanted to help them experience [new] countries in the best way.”
As a chaperone, Lisa’s met several students who—just like herself—didn’t want to stop traveling with Mr. Ossler after their initial trip. Best of all, she’s been able to develop wonderful relationships with these students, which are reminiscent of the impact Mr. Ossler had on her. “I met a student on an EF tour who is now in my first-period class,” she explains. “Before, other teachers described him as quiet. Maybe it was from knowing me in a different aspect, but in my class, he’s totally opened up and blossomed.”
This makes sense to Lisa. She believes that group travel always leads to stronger relationships because you bond over shared moments that couldn’t happen anywhere else. She’s experienced this herself as a student, teacher, and a friend—and she has no intention of stopping any time soon. “It’s about the new groups you travel with, and the people you meet along the way,” she says. “Every trip has something new to bring to the table.”
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Sarah McLaughlin
Sarah is a senior copywriter at EF Education First. When she isn’t writing, you can find her browsing through bookshops, trying to cook, or going to improv class (which is basically just an excuse for adults to play make-believe).
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