The Highschool I went to in Dubai called Jumeirah English Speaking School works with charities in Vietnam to provide houses for impoverished citizens in the Mekong Delta. My fellow students and I raised money to purchase bricks, sand, and cement for when we were there. We traveled to the Mekong Delta and spent five days building brick houses to replace wooden, unstable shelters. It was a remarkable and rewarding experience at 16 years old and influenced my drive to volunteer in the future. It also opened my eyes up to the wider world and the ways people can help.

The trip to Vietnam also contained a four-day trek through mountain and sparse farmland environments. We were challenged to be self-sufficient, by camping and cooking for ourselves. This expedition also included mountain biking and abseiling. It was challenging, as we were given a blank map with coordinates and told to make a trail. Being able to be that self-reliant definitely set me up for success during college. I would also have to say the trip instilled a level of confidence in my own abilities.