Noah Gettings

 1. What inspired you to join VISIONS?

Previous summers spent leading hiking and backpacking trips for high school students, both domestically and abroad, have shown me the power of robust experiential education in shaping students’ high school experiences. VISIONS appealed to me for similar reasons, as I immediately recognized its potential to provide meaningful learning and recreational opportunities.

Additionally, the integral service component of VISIONS presents a growth opportunity for both students and myself, as we challenge ourselves to become familiar with and comfortable in a new community. As a high school Spanish teacher during the school year, the language-learning aspect of the Peru program is the cherry on top—I love engaging in and sharing language learning, and this kind of immersive experience is an excellent opportunity for that.

2. What experiences have shaped your passion for community service and youth development?

My three summers as a backpacking leader for teenagers have taught me unequivocally that challenging oneself in an unfamiliar outdoor setting is one of the most valuable experiences in a young person’s life. As a high school student myself, I formed some of my closest friendships and developed many of my core values while hiking and backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the southeastern United States.

Around the same time, I had the opportunity to use my Spanish skills to help teach basic computer skills to Latino small business owners in my hometown. This experience showed me the value of my abilities—even as a learner—and gave me the confidence to continue applying myself in new ways. I hope to empower VISIONS students through community service in a similar way.

3. What is your favorite achievement?

After spending a semester abroad in Chile and traveling in the Peruvian Andes, I returned for my senior year inspired to write my Honors thesis on language revitalization among Andean Indigenous populations. I focused on grassroots efforts to revitalize Quechua in Peru, interviewing professors in Chile as well as a mountain guide I met while traveling in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Ancash region.

This project helped strengthen my academic Spanish and encouraged me to engage more deeply with topics of Indigenous identity and belief systems.

4. What is your favorite place you’ve traveled?

As I mentioned, I traveled to Peru after studying in Santiago, Chile. For two weeks, a friend and I explored the Cordillera Blanca near Huaraz and then independently hiked a circuit through the Cordillera Huayhuash.

Not only was this the most beautiful landscape I’ve visited, but my interactions with local communities and guides sparked a deeper curiosity about culture—an outcome I hadn’t anticipated.

5. What is the best advice you’ve received?

A wise person never passes up free food.

6. What do you hope to accomplish this summer?

I hope to integrate myself into the community of Urubamba and to challenge students to do the same by engaging fully in their work, asking questions, and trying new things.

7. What are you most excited about this summer?

I’m most excited about building new experiences and relationships with fellow leaders, students, and local community members.

8. If you had to give one piece of advice or words of encouragement to someone on their first VISIONS experience, what would it be?

Make the most of your time: dive headfirst into challenges, approach each day with enthusiasm, and take full advantage of the unique opportunity to learn in a fun, interactive environment.