{"id":36458,"date":"2019-04-25T10:04:34","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T14:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/?p=36458"},"modified":"2019-07-10T10:19:22","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T14:19:22","slug":"my100days-making-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/2019\/04\/25\/my100days-making-a-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"#My100Days: Making a Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every year\u00a0<span>Boston-London Program students share their gap semester experiences with us through the\u00a0hashtag #My100Days. Over the years students have used the gap semester to make a difference in the world. Whether they travel through a volunteer program, give back in their spare time while working, or choose an internship that does good for the world&#8211; the gap semester is the perfect chance to focus on others. Here are some of the ways students have used the gap semester to give back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36061\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36061\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/IMG_2862-e1550702312166-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Madeleine Salman at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the benches she helped to install\" width=\"625\" height=\"469\" class=\"wp-image-36061\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/IMG_2862-e1550702312166-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/IMG_2862-e1550702312166-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/IMG_2862-e1550702312166-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36061\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Madeleine Salman worked with her city to install solar powered charging benches in public parks. She started the project in high school and was able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/2019\/03\/28\/my100days-bringing-a-sustainability-project-to-the-finish-line\/\">bring it to the finish line<\/a> during the gap semester. Her gap semester advice: &#8220;<span>Enjoy what you have in your hometown because you are going to miss it when you leave.&#8221;<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36513\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36513\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Carly-Wilson-660x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Carly Wilson wearing the t-shirt from her race\" width=\"625\" height=\"969\" class=\"wp-image-36513\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Carly-Wilson-660x1024.jpg 660w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Carly-Wilson-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Carly-Wilson-768x1191.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Carly-Wilson.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36513\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carly Wilson raised money for the Children&#8217;s Hospital of Wisconsin and chronicled her adventures on Instagram at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mind_the_gap_19\/\">@mind_the_gap_19<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36541\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36541\" style=\"width: 632px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_3096-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Hallie Nothmann hugging a younger girl\" width=\"622\" height=\"467\" class=\"wp-image-36541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_3096-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_3096-400x300.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_3096-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36541\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hallie Nothmann sent this picture of her with one of the girls she taught in Costa Rica. Hallie spent #My100Days in Costa Rica, living in both San Jose and S\u00e1mara with two different host families. She did a Spanish language intensive class, followed by a three-week internship at an organization called Fundaci\u00f3n Mujer. Her last five weeks she spent in Samara, practicing her Spanish, cooking with her host mom at her restaurant in the mornings and teaching English in the afternoons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36511\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36511\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Caroline sitting on a pier with a lake, trees and a blue sky behind her\" width=\"625\" height=\"625\" class=\"wp-image-36511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Caroline-Olesky.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36511\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caroline worked as an educator at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kwe.org\/\">Leadership School at Kieve<\/a>\u00a0in Maine,\u00a0<span>leading outdoor retreats for middle schoolers in the Northeast and visiting classrooms around Maine to bring the Leadership School&#8217;s curriculum directly into schools. She says, &#8220;While being here, I\u2019ve gotten the chance to live a much different, more rural lifestyle than in my suburban home town.&#8221;<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36515\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36515\" style=\"width: 632px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/resize-FC8EEDBC-D861-402A-8A2F-1A4070912F51-550x367.jpg\" alt=\"Tess holding three-year old Ramla, both with huge smiles\" width=\"622\" height=\"415\" class=\"wp-image-36515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/resize-FC8EEDBC-D861-402A-8A2F-1A4070912F51-550x367.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/resize-FC8EEDBC-D861-402A-8A2F-1A4070912F51-550x367-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tess taught Math and English at the Zerry Education Center for Children in Tanzania. She volunteered at a nearby orphanage, where she met<span>\u00a0three-year-old Ramla. \u201cI don\u2019t really know what about her made me know,\u201d she told <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/today\/2019\/new-college-of-general-studies-students-arrive-fresh-from-gap-semester-projects\/\">BU Today<\/a>, \u201cbut on my second day at the orphanage, I knew she was going to be in my life forever.\u201d Her family decided to adopt Ramla and she&#8217;s expected to join them in their home in Connecticut in the summer. Tess said the gap semester was a deciding factor for her in choosing BU. Without the gap semester, &#8220;I would not have been able to go to Tanzania\u2026and no other school had a program anywhere near as accommodating.\u201d<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36510\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36510\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Aisha-My100Days2-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Aisha Sheikh and two other friends, wearing white coats and standing in front of the orphanage\" width=\"625\" height=\"833\" class=\"wp-image-36510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Aisha-My100Days2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Aisha-My100Days2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/Aisha-My100Days2.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36510\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aisha Sheikh worked at the Lalla Maryem Orphanage for Special Needs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30748\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Caroline-Bullock-2-Copy-1024x738.jpg\" alt=\"One of the animals that Caroline cared for\" width=\"625\" height=\"450\" class=\"wp-image-30748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Caroline-Bullock-2-Copy-1024x738.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Caroline-Bullock-2-Copy-417x300.jpg 417w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caroline Bullock went to Peru and volunteered at the Taricaya Ecological Reserve, where they strive to conserve the Amazon rainforest, including the plants and animals that inhabit that region. The project\u00a0<span>rescues injured or abandoned animals, hoping to rehabilitate them and possibly release them back into the wild or simply give them happy lives at the rescue center. <\/span>She says, &#8220;<span>They have a variety of different volunteer opportunities around the world and differing areas of focus for their programs. I would absolutely recommend this experience this experience to others. I had the best time, learned so much, and made international friends that I still keep in contact with.&#8221;<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30675\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30675\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Jordan-Williams-Princeton-Choose-Copy-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Jordan Williams holding a copy of the book he contributed to \" width=\"625\" height=\"833\" class=\"wp-image-30675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Jordan-Williams-Princeton-Choose-Copy-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Jordan-Williams-Princeton-Choose-Copy-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Jordan-Williams-Princeton-Choose-Copy.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30675\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jordan Williams contributed interviews and photos to a 224-page Classroom Index published by Princeton Choose, \u201ca student-led organization aiming to overcome racism and inspire harmony through exposure, education, and empowerment.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35864\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35864\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/jk-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Julia Kim in Greece, with ancient ruins and pillars behind her\" width=\"625\" height=\"469\" class=\"wp-image-35864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/jk-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/jk-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/01\/jk-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35864\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julia Kim traveled through Europe, including a stop in Greece where she volunteered at a local kindergarten.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_30688\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-30688\" style=\"width: 635px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Nicole-Pikulik.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Pikulik riding an elephant\" width=\"625\" height=\"831\" class=\"wp-image-30688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Nicole-Pikulik.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2016\/11\/Nicole-Pikulik-226x300.jpg 226w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-30688\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nicole Pikulik volunteered at the Home and Life Orphanage and then with the Elephant Care project during a service trip to Thailand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36542\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36542\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_2408-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Elisa Cifiello at her internship's charity gala\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" class=\"wp-image-36542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_2408-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_2408-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/files\/2019\/04\/IMG_2408-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36542\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elisa Cifiello helped with a charity gala for her internship at the International Institute of New England during her gap semester.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether they travel through a volunteer program, give back in their spare time while working, or choose an internship that does good for the world&#8211; the gap semester is the perfect chance to focus on others. Here are some of the ways students have students have used the gap semester to give back.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13125,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4211,4263,334,4205],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36458"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36458"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38296,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36458\/revisions\/38296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}