Great role models are few and far between these days.
A group of lucky city students spent an unforgettable part of their summer enjoying a trip of a lifetime — on the house — thanks to a young man who created a very special organization when he was just 16. Trip of a Lifetime is the brainchild of Stan Rosenberg, now 22, who has been an inspiration for young adults. He’s passionate about providing student travel scholarships to qualifying, underprivileged teens, and his organization has been empowering them through travel experiences that expand their horizons.
The shy kid from Scarsdale said he was transformed after going on a trip.
“I started Trip of a Lifetime after going on a teen tour myself, in the summer of 2007. I was a freshman in high school, and the experience changed my life, making me more confident and allowing me to develop my leadership skills,” Rosenberg recalled. “After my trip, I spoke with family and friends about my idea for the organization and in the fall of 2008, the organization was officially born.”
When he’s not involved with Trip of a Lifetime, Rosenberg is a consultant at Deloitte.
“Some people are surprised that I also have a full-time job, but part of the reason is to let students that have been on trips before take the lead with this organization. I aspire Trip of a Lifetime to be ‘for students by students,’ where each group trains the next to run every facet.”
He says family and friends have been extremely supportive.
“Almost everyone has had a memorable travel experience, whether it has been in school, at work, or for a family vacation,” says Rosenberg. “Tapping into the power of travel has helped make our message universal.”
Rosenberg explained how the organization works. “Every accepted student travels on a trip with 30 to 40 other students that lasts two to three weeks. These trips are organized by our partners: Rein Teen Tours and American Trails West, two of the most established teen travel companies in the country, and vary slightly by age and when the student departed for their trip.
“On their trips this summer, students experienced destinations such as the Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge, and Mount Rushmore during the day and participated in social events and team-building activities at night. When it was time to go to sleep, students stayed in a variety of name-brand hotels, camping grounds, and college campuses.”
Trips are funded through a combination of grants, individual donations, and corporate sponsors, including American Express Travel.
It all starts with filing an application between November and mid-March, followed by an essay and brief phone interview, then hopefully, an e-mail that says, “Congratulations, you have been selected as a finalist for the Trip of a Lifetime scholarship.”
Just ask Bria, Selina, and Wilmaris, local students who traveled together and couldn’t wait to share their adventure stories with family and friends, as well as NY Parenting readers and their teens. The following excerpts are from their post-trip essays in which the girls talk about the application process, some of their trips’ highlights, and what they learned from their travels.
Selina Asamoah, 14, from the Bronx writes:
This summer can truly be called an unforgettable summer. The trip was an amazing experience which taught me a lot about myself, my goals and people from different backgrounds. It began on a boring October school day in history class. I remember the teacher on the intercom saying “Come down to room 306 to get an application for Trip of a Lifetime.” Every teacher was saying how much of a good experience it would be and that we should all apply.
Around February break, I was really giving up on the idea, but there was a little spark of hope still left in me. The deadline was quickly approaching, March 15, 2014. I mailed the (pre-trip) essay on time.
At that point, I can’t even explain the amount of excitement that filled me. Stan called me, and I had my interview for like five minutes. About two weeks later, while decorating the gym for a school dance, I got the e-mail that I was accepted into the Trip of a Lifetime program. I was so grateful that Stan actually saw something in me and accepted me. I couldn’t wait for the summer to arrive, so I could be on the trip.
My favorite places that we visited were Park City, Utah and Lake Tahoe. First and foremost, the bus ride to Utah was really beautiful. When we got to the resort, the counselors gave us our roommates.
The next day was very adventurous — we went mountain biking and Alpine sliding. The next day, we took a jet to Reno, Nev., then a bus to Lake Tahoe.
This trip has taught me to be confident, has restored my self-esteem and made me realize that there’s more in the world than just the South Bronx. But the most important thing that it has shown me is to be open minded and to always try and experience new things.
Bria Taylor, 16, and her twin sister, Brianna are from Jamaica, Queens. They flew to Denver with the group, then it was off to South Dakota, where they visited Mount Rushmore and went hiking.
The next day, everyone bused down to Jackson, Wyo., then to Reno, Nev. and Lake Tahoe, where they went tubing and wakeboarding before heading off to San Francisco. Bria writes:
Every time we left a new city, I picked up new traditions, cultures, friends, etc. This trip brought out the best in me, and it actually gave me the opportunity to branch out to new things … and [I] stepped out of my comfort zone to where I know that I am willing to go the distance.
Wilmaris DeLaCruz, 16, from Washington Heights writes:
Travel for free? I got an e-mail from the organization, and I couldn’t believe that I was a finalist! I cannot thank you guys enough for giving me the chance to not only have fun and travel, but to make a difference and help others that have so much less than I do.
I have never traveled before or even been on an airplane. This was a huge step for me … getting out of my comfort zone and going out into the real world to discover things that I never knew existed. I grew ecstatic and eager to learn and travel.
The day I [had] been waiting for finally arrived. It was June 29, the day I left everyone and everything behind for two entire weeks and ventured out into the world.
Looking around in JFK airport and seeing not one familiar face (other than my mom who was with me) wasn’t at all easy. But I kept on thinking positively. I waved goodbye to my mom with tears in my eyes, walking away towards the Rein Teen Tours group. Thankfully, I was able to see two people that I saw recently at the Trip of a Lifetime meeting: Kalifala and Zairia. I also sat next to Zairia on the plane, and I was excited that we would be going to California together!
I was stunned by how different California was from New York City, with its big, beautiful palm trees and breathtaking landscapes. One of my favorite places was the Santa Barbara Beach because of how beautiful the scenery was. I also loved going bowling, roller blading, kayaking, the improv club in Los Angeles, and I even learned how to swim! On top of all that, we had the chance to dorm at UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara) and get a glimpse of how college life really is.
However, what made this trip a lot more memorable for me was waking up at 7:30 am every morning, eating breakfast, and leaving by 9:15 am to do community service for three hours every day at a place called Unity Shoppe. It is an organization that helps provide food, clothing, and basic necessities to low-income, working families, their children, and the elderly. It’s unique because it allows families and individuals who are going through a tough time to get back on their feet.
Being a volunteer at this shop was the highlight of my entire trip. I learned so much. I had many roles and learned how to do each and every one of them. I was a cashier, I learned how to put tags on clothing, I organized the clothes, as well as put them on hangers, I put bar codes on cans and other foods, I packaged food … and my favorite one of all: I helped take the customers around and helped them feel at home, so that they won’t feel ashamed having to receive help. Seeing the brightness in their eyes and the smile on their faces and the way they would hold my hand and say, “thank you so much,” really touched my heart and made me want to continue helping others … which I will, after this life-changing experience.
Unity Shoppe also helped me appreciate my own life, because I finally realized and saw it with my own eyes, that there are others who have so much less than I do. Now, I am immensely thankful for what I have and as soon as I got home, I hugged my mom and told her, “Thank you so much for all that you have done for me!”
Knowing that I can have fun while helping low-income families get back on their feet, was a blessing. I didn’t want to leave, but I promised I’d be back.
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For more info on Trip of a Lifetime, visit www.projecttoal.org.
