Yesterday, I moved to Costa Rica to alter and educate my perspective and thinking of our vast world.
Today, I go to class in an enchanting castle among students from over 80 countries.
Tomorrow, I can expect that life will remain consistent in enriching my circumstance with diversity and understanding.
However, despite the distance I travel and the time and touch lost, I will never cease to carry the community and beauty of Orcas Island in my heart. I will always find comfort in knowing that a small town, on an island many cannot locate on a map, is cultivating curiosity and passion in young minds who will impact societies, communities, and people around the world.
So thank you, Orcas Island. For picking us up hitchhiking to the skatepark, smiling at us from behind the Island Market deli, and encouraging us, your youth, to appreciate and look beyond the smooth ocean, into the depths of the world as we begin to know it when we take the ferry alone for the first time. With this, I would also like to thank you for helping students from conflict nations to share their stories by making this trip possible. It comes as no surprise to me that the Orcas Island community has created possibility  for people of all backgrounds to be affected by this trip through phone calls and bake sales.

Emma Smith
Orcas Island