So What Made the Difference?

College admissions say the following about the profile they are looking for:
“What is it that makes you unique, and how will you contribute to the life of our campus?” That’s what admission officers want to know, according to Earl Johnson, dean of admission at the University of Tulsa. To gauge what students can bring to their campus, they look for these types of qualities:

• Leadership
• A willingness to take risks
• Initiative
• A sense of social responsibility
• A commitment to service
• Special talents or abilities

Retrieved from: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/character-counts-what-are-colleges-looking-for

Daniel's experiences at the Bridge surely meet these criteria. With his hours of community service, his internship with nonprofits in Costa Rica, his positive contributions to and leadership in our gap community, his initiative to willingly take a risk by attending a gap year to do something meaningful to prepare him for college, and his unique talents and abilities, his resume shows exactly the kind of applicant that any college admissions team would want in their community. Congratulations, Daniel!

At any age, one likes to feel competent and confident with most daily tasks. But anyone with foreign travel experience will have personal stories about the equalizing / leveling effects of any language or cultural differences. Even the simplest arrangements, such as calling for a cab (in a town that has no formal street addresses) can bring a “mature adult” to their knees in seconds. Heck, just asking my temporary roomie for a script that I could use to order a cab, was humbling… There was no way that I’d let him overhear my butchered Spanish:“Necessito un taxi…”

For some crazy reason I’d committed to direct work with young adults, adopting a fresh program model and philosophy, alongside sincere staff who seemed to be “chill” beyond anything I’d ever known, personally. So, with much trepidation, I stepped out of the taxi and into an impressively engineered rock and wood house that, at that moment, was in standard evening mode. The guys barely flinched upon seeing me. In fact, I questioned whether they even realized I’d walked in to their space.
This was “ah hah moment # 1”:  They weren’t being rude or distant… They were totally engaged in conversations, cyberspace, cooking, listening to tunes, watching a hysterical Australian comedian, doing laundry, doing homework, playing ping pong and pool, and unwinding after a long and hectic day. 
 
What was disconcerting or even unnerving, was a phenomenon that I describe as “extreme non-codependence”…quite disconcerting to the more anxious and needy among us, yet SO refreshing. It became clear that their demeanor was “nothing personal” and that it was a sure sign of healthy young adults, exhibiting boundaries and a sense of safety and self-assuredness, even in the presence of strangers.
 
While it’s quite easy to reward guys in a program for performing like polite chimps for visitors, the seasoned “milieu observer” will be far more impressed by participants who feel entirely comfortable being themselves, “warts and all,” with stuffing hanging out at times…  That’s life, and a program that respects “life on life’s terms” for residents is evolved and healthy.
 
So, to recap: Point 1; Self-assuredness and healthy participant boundaries without expectations for rewards or “cookies” in return is a subtle but clear differentiator for this program, in a sea of “competing” programs. If healthy “separation and individuation” are the primary challenges and goals of adolescence, one would expect and/or want to see signs of success in those developmental milestones in young adult personal growth programs. 

Overflowing with time? 
Get Rob's full story in the  full 7 minute video:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ-kq2qUzns