HMI Gap Alumni

What HMI Gap Alumni Have to Say About Their Experience

Our students are what make our program and we want to highlight their experience by giving them the chance to share some of their most memorable, challenging, celebratory moments while on their outdoor gap journey with HMI Gap. These stories share the camaraderie, growth, leadership, and fun that HMI Gap students experience while embarking on an adventure that will continue to impact them beyond their time with HMI Gap.

Piper Enderlein- Trek '22

My gap year helped me learn how to follow my heart. I became more confident in myself and learned so much about what brings me joy. It encouraged me to spend even more time outside, and seek out people and experiences that challenge me and help me grow while being goofy.

Abby Rodriguez- Trek '23

We hiked everyday and saw amazing views! I met so many people and built lifelong friendships with people here. I learned how to be apart of a healthy community and got to travel to many places! I am able to communicate in healthy ways with people around me and learned how to support myself and people around me.

Anton Migdal- Rock '23

I’ve come out of this experience with a matured sense of self. My time at HMI has allowed me to better my understanding of who I am, how my experiences leading up to the present have shaped me, and how I can grow into the person I want to become. My confidence in myself has grown exponentially, and I find myself with an increased ambition to seek out experiences that will force me to think differently.

Anna Brown- Rock '23

I spent time in many beautiful places learning to rock climb. I built amazing relationships and learned many expected and unexpected skills. It made me very curious in outdoor education, and outdoor rescue. When has anyone regretted taking a gap year and doing something like this? It’s an amazing opportunity few people are privileged enough to have, and it’s very beneficial!

Nichola Monroe- Rock '22

During our first backpacking expedition in Colorado, a storm blew through our camp. It was late September, it started snowing, and there was a lot of lighting quite close by. In the middle of cooking dinner the group scattered and went into lightning position. We were squatted in this incredibly tiring position for almost an hour before the lightning moved away, and even though we were all so cold and hungry, I just remember feeling so much joy to be truly ‘out there’ in adverse conditions. I was so excited because I knew that I was going to become such great friends with all the people that were there with me.

Camilla Maclean- Trek '23

HMI Gap helped clarify what I wanted to study in higher education, allowed me to discover new passions and interests, and shaped how I move through the world as a leader and a friend. I learned how to commit to a community everyday and work for unity and growth. I now want to look at ecology, archeology, geology; I got super passionate about studying land, time, and rocks.