Megan Roe: Senior Megan Roe is planning on taking road trip(s) across the entire United States until she completes all 50 states, while taking classes at JCCC.

Marking her fifth summer of working for YouthFront Camp West, then-junior Megan Roe helped her group of young kids win belly flop contests and clean  their cabins. The job left her out of town for weeks during the summer, missing out on the high school summer experience, but it was worth it for the money she earned. 

Roe’s goal with the money was to buy a 2015 Ford Focus in order to drive across the country during her gap year following graduation.

She’s loved traveling since her childhood when she’d go on road trips with with family and friends, inspiring her passion today. When the time came to decide what she wanted to do after graduation, she knew she wanted to continue traveling. 

“I grew up surrounded by a bunch of different cultures, so I wanted to continue to immerse myself in that,” Roe said. “I just love exploring and expanding my view with talking to other people, which is where I think this kind of came from.”

Roe plans on checking all 50 states off her list, finding beauty in each place she goes. She also plans to take a few classes at Johnson County Community College to earn more credits for the following school year.

Roe debated taking strictly online classes, but decided to split her time between online and in-person. She’ll be keeping school as a close second priority, right below traveling. Roe will be taking marine biology and zoology classes, while traveling from coast to coast. 

“My goal in life is to hit all 50 states and then eventually the entire world,” Roe said. “I want to do a big, long trip, but I will probably do a bunch of smaller ones as well and save up money for when I come back to work.”

Roe doesn’t know her exact route and the timing of her major road trip, but has her eyes on Yosemite National Park as her dream destination, as well as Oregon to expand her love for nature and camping. 

Spending time with herself has never been an issue for Roe. She plans on mostly traveling alone. However, she may bring people along, since the task she’s taking on may be too much to manage.

“Traveling alone, especially as a woman, is scary,” Roe said. “I’ve never done anything like this before and I think the most difficult part of the whole trip will be making sure that I am putting my safety before anything else.”

Fortunately, there are plenty of safety precautions for Roe to incorporate, from car alarms to defense devices and even something as simple as texting her mom with updates and sharing her location.

As the real world begins to creep up on Roe, she will keep working at YouthFront Camp West this summer, and once she starts college, she will begin traveling while taking her classes at JCCC. 

“I don’t quite know how long it will take,” Roe said. “But I just plan on doing it for as long as I can before the real stuff sets in. After I hit Yosemite, it is really up to wherever my heart is telling me to go.”