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Explorer Spotlight

An Interview With SYDNEY

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Sydney joined Great Explorations for summers four and five. She started out a very quite, very reserved young girl. In those two years Sydney blossomed into a self assured young lady who knew her strengths and tackled challenges. This interview was filled with giggles and pauses for thoughtful reflections from a young woman finding her way in the world.
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest motivator for doing well in school?
A: My greatest motivator was really my mom. Even though it seemed like nagging or bugging me to do stuff I actually got it done. Whether it was for my benefit or to get her to be quiet about it, the work still got done and it was a good job, so the nagging and bugging were ok.
And I usually also motivated myself. If I wanted something I would have to get my work done and then I would get what I wanted.
 
Q: What kind of rewards would you give yourself?
A: I would tell myself, “If you do your homework and you do a good job on it you can watch TV for the rest of the night or do your nails, maybe get your nails done.” I’m not good at projects, so if I did one and did it on time and not the night before then I would say, “Yeah, I deserve some ice cream.”
 
Q: How did you handle challenges (i.e., tough test, tough class)?
A: I never kept the challenge to myself. If there was an issue I always had somebody to talk to about it. I was the type a person who wouldn’t raise their hand in class, but I would go after class to ask my question. If you don’t feel comfortable asking a teacher you have to find that one teacher who is one of those people that knows everything and ask them for help.
 
Q: What did you think of being an Explorer?
A: Oh, my gosh, it was so much fun! I didn’t know about meeting a whole group of new people. It was a little nerve racking at first, but now I am so glad I did it.
 
Q: How did some of the things you saw or did as an Explorer impact you?
A: Being an Explorer definitely opened my eyes. I was a shy person before Great Explorations, but it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and be nice to people and make friends. Usually, I would wait until people came to me, but that wasn’t going to be the case in this situation. I had to open myself up. Especially with Mrs. Daniels making us go to Hemlock (Sydney chuckles). OH, DEAR HEMLOCK…yeah, that was one thing I got out of it. Another was that you don’t have to be a rapper or a basketball player to make something of yourself.
 
Q: What was a memorable Explorer moment?
A: After whitewater rafting everyone in the van fell asleep. When I woke up my arms and my legs were so sore. When I got back to the house I don’t know what happened, but my legs just gave out! That was so funny to me. I was sitting there on the floor laughing because I wish I had been able to see what I looked like falling. I really liked whitewater rafting a lot.
 
Q: Why would a boy or girl want to be an Explorer?
A: During the summer you’re not stuck in the house watching TV, eating up the refrigerator. You’re actually out doing something. You have something to look forward to every week.
 
Q: If you were mentoring a youngster in elementary or middle school why would you want her to be an Explorer?
A: So they could also come out of their shell like I did. And so that they would know how many career fields there are in the world. You don’t have to be only a doctor or a lawyer. You can do something you like and make money. I would really want them to know that.
 
Sydney’s Parting Words:
Know who you are deep inside and know what you stand for. Know what you want. People will try and test it [what you stand for] intentionally and not intentionally. Stay grounded in your family and church, if you have a church home. Find that one person you can go to who will give you adult insight: someone in addition to your parents who will not judge you. That really helps out a lot. 

Highlight Spring/Summer 2016: Whitney (Longwood College Class of 2017) shares how Great Explorations helped to shape her decision to become a scientist. 


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Great Explorations does not promote or restrict participation to those who ascribe to a certain set of religious, social, or cultural beliefs. However, the essence of what we do is rooted in the Christian principles of love and developed character and in the acknowledgement of spirituality as an essential factor of being human. 
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  • Programs
    • Explorer Adventures
    • LIFE 101
    • Brayboy Scholars
  • About Us
  • Give
    • Business Partners: enCompass A to Z
    • Become a Volunteer >
      • Meet Our Founder
  • Parents and Explorers