Hey everyone, my name is Ryan and I grew up in New York City. I recently moved to Lisbon, Portugal, and my goal for my gap year is to “explore with intention” – I want to pursue my passions for surfing, skiing, adventure, meeting new people and social impact while immersing myself in new experiences and cultures and getting outside my comfort zone. In the fall, I will be going on a month-long mountaineering and camping trip in the Indian Himalayas. From the end of November until early February, I will be getting my ski instructor certification and teaching ski lessons in Switzerland. Finally, from March until May I will be interning at a human rights nonprofit in Cape Town, South Africa. Next summer, I want to continue exploring Lisbon, surfing the Portuguese coastline, and playing tennis!
