Senior plans gap year abroad
Dahlia Krebs will spend next year in Israel
Used with permission from Dahlia Krebs. Picture taken of senior Dahlia Krebs, Sept. 2020. She will be taking a gap year in Israel next school year.
May 8, 2021
As many seniors prepare their post-graduation plans, senior Dahlia Krebs has different plans than most of her peers. Next year, she will be taking a gap year and traveling over 6000 miles to be part of the Midreshet Lindenbaum program, located in Israel.
“It’s a program in Israel for Jewish teen girls,” Krebs said. “I would describe it as being about living abroad, speaking Hebrew all the time, living independently, as well as learning Jewish text.”
While taking a gap year is not a traditional route, according to College and Career Counselor Kara Mueller, it can provide valuable experiences.
“The biggest role it plays is that it allows you to grow and learn more about yourself, you gain different experiences that provide pathways for education and careers,” Mueller said.
It will be helpful to have that break before university to explore a whole new country — Dahlia Krebs
Liz Madigan, fellow senior and friend of Krebs, said she is thrilled that Krebs has the chance to take a year off to be in Israel.
“It’s a great opportunity for her, I know she’s really connected with Israel through her religion and it’ll be awesome for her to get to spend time there,” Madigan said.
For Krebs, the benefits of taking a gap year outweighed any potential cons.
“High school is a stressful time because I put in a lot of work to succeed,” Krebs said. “It will be helpful to have that break before university to explore a whole new country.”
Mueller agrees that the experiences that gap years supply are worthwhile, although cost and changes in the learning environment can be difficult.
“A negative would be, number one, if it’s expensive, because some gap year programs are very costly and it also gets you out of the rhythm of education,” Mueller said.
According to Madigan, the advantages of going directly to college made her personally not consider taking a gap year.
“You get to stay with your grade, which is great if you know people that are going to your college,” Madigan said. “I know I’m going to be in college for awhile, so I want to go ahead and get started.”
With loosening COVID-19 restrictions, Krebs is looking forward to the experiences and adventures ahead.
“I’m excited to meet the other girls in the program and I hope to be able to reunite and visit family and friends on the weekend as well,” Krebs said.
