Jeanne Özkan: Senior Jeanne Özkan is taking a gap year to participate in AmeriCorps, a federally-funded volunteer program

Senior Jeanne Özkan couldn’t survive another year of school, not even another semester. The two years of getting her International Baccalaureate diploma required a 4,000-word extended essay, overwhelming math assignments and preparation for 10 days of IB exams. Özkan was in need of a change from her endless cycle of homework, sleep and school.

So after her mom went kayaking with her friend and former-East parent Susan Newton, a fitting solution was brought up when they discussed AmeriCorps — a nationwide volunteer program run by the federal government. 

Newton’s daughter and East alum Alison Gibson participated in AmeriCorps’ basic program — the National Civilian Community Corps — which consisted of about nine months of building community gardens and conducting disaster relief in the Pacific region of the United States. 

It was the perfect brain break for Özkan.

When Özkan’s mom came home and told them about the NCCC, she was curious to learn more, so the pair went out to brunch with Gibson and Newton. 

“I was like, ‘This sounds perfect for me,’” Özkan said. “And then I met with [Gibson], and [Newton] and we had brunch and it lasted for three hours. It was a really long conversation and we just talked about [Gibson’s] experience at AmeriCorps.”

Gibson told them about a project she participated in — building community gardens in Navajo Nation so that the residents could plant her own fruit and vegetables — and Özkan was sold.

“I support [Özkan] so much in doing this that I would do anything to make the experience amazing for them,” Gibson said.

Özkan will be sent to either Denver or Sacramento for a month of training before participating in four eight-week projects such as helping displaced refugees settle into their communities. But beyond the volunteer work, she is looking forward to meeting new people and escaping the world of school.

“I love meeting new people,” Özkan said. “I love putting myself out there, and I’m just so excited to be in this new world where I don’t have a million papers to write and so much homework, but I’m still helping people and making connections.”