At the time of this writing my REDI Lab project was three years ago. It seems like only yesterday that I walked in to the REDI Lab on day one with no idea what I wanted to do or why I was there. I did know that in a few months I would be uprooting my life to move to Costa Rica to finish high school. I had no idea that I would graduate from high school there, travel the world on a gap year, and experience so many new things that I had never thought possible. Clearly, there were lots of thoughts and emotions, and I did not see the connections at first. Today, I am entering my sophomore year of college having traveled to 17 countries on 6 continents, learned how to mountain bike and surf, lived in three foreign cities, climbed the highest mountain in Africa, and come back to study engineering. The catalyst for it all? My REDI Lab project.
Over the course of three months in the REDI Lab, I built a surfboard from scratch. I had never surfed and I didn’t know the first thing about it, but I knew that I wanted to challenge myself to try something out of my comfort zone. So I did research, talked with surf suppliers, and found a spot to start building. I bought EPS foam, epoxy resin, fiberglass, spray paint, and more, and I got to work in my parents’ garage. The building process was difficult and time consuming, but after months of effort, I was able to bring my completed surfboard to the lake and see it float for the very first time. I added personal touches to show my background and be proud of the fact that a surfboard was made in Colorado. A few months later I caught my first wave on it in Costa Rica.
But my project was never really about the surfboard or surfing. It was about taking the leap of faith into the unknown and trying new things. My adventurous ideas weren’t new, and being encouraged to pursue them showed me the power of not being scared of obstacles or inexperience. The process was never going to be perfect, and that’s exactly how it should be. My surfboard is now wall art and never met the standards needed to actually surf, but the thrill of having created something totally new stuck with me.
Too often students are made to feel that there is only one correct path through school. We are told to study hard, get good grades, find the “right” answers, and go to college, but that isn’t the recipe for everyone. While it is undoubtedly important to learn subjects like math and history, it’s missing a key ingredient: adventure. My most memorable lessons in life did not come from the classroom, they came from experiential learning and trying new things. Instead of pushing predetermined paths school and educators should be pushing students’ comfort zones.
That’s why the REDI Lab is special. It is the first place I came across in my education where I felt that all of my ideas were truly valued and important – and I was able to act on them and produce something. I wasn’t told to solve a worksheet, I was told to dream big and worry about logistics later. The one-on-one time with the teachers where they took time to truly understand my ideas created a unique environment where ideas worth sharing can grow freely.
I still carry with me the philosophy that I shared in my REDI Lab presentation; everyone should try new things. It has led me to countless incredible experiences that I otherwise would have missed. When I do new things, big or small, I grow both as a person and in my knowledge. It is this same feeling of accomplishment that keeps me chasing every new opportunity that comes my way.
