With graduation right around to corner, Alia Hartwig faced mounting pressure to decide what she would study for the next four years in university – a decision the Tustin High senior said she had been struggling with for some time.
So, instead of rushing off to college, Hartwig chose to take a gap year to see more of the world, learn more about herself and, mostly, she said, give back to those less fortunate than herself.
Hartwig deferred her acceptance to Baylor University to join the Christian nonprofit World Race for nine months to serve the poor in Malaysia, Thailand, Romania and Guatemala. The trip costs $17,000, and Hartwig said she has been fundraising for it.
“It was not something I had always wanted to do. I was planning on going to college next year and taking the more traditional route, but as I was starting to look at colleges and trying to decide what I wanted to major in and where I wanted to go, I didn’t feel like I knew,” Hartwig said. “I also just felt like God was calling me to go do something else. I kind of shocked myself and everyone around me.”
Although many were very surprised by her decision to take a gap year, Hartwig said her friends, family and, especially, her school counselor were extremely supportive of her mission trip.
Hartwig said college is still in the cards for her and although she applied for Baylor’s engineering program, she wants to go into this next chapter of her life with an open mind and an open heart about her future plans.
