One Whitman alum made his dreams of exploring a reality by embracing an unconventional year of adventure.

Last spring, after accepting admission to Dartmouth College, Wes Kendrick (‘14) decided to take a gap year. He divided it into two parts, starting with a Southeast Asian exploration trip followed by internships in Italy.

For the first six months, Kendrick participated in a cultural immersion trip called “Life Along the Mekong,” sponsored by Where There Be Dragons, an organization that runs student travel in off-the-beaten-track locations.

American and local guides led the students as they stayed with locals while trekking across China, Laos and Cambodia.

“[We] tried to get rid of the tourist mentality and see the places as they really are,” Kendrick said.

One of the trip leaders, Parker Pflaum, said that the group’s homestay in China’s Yunnan province of China was one of the trip’s highlights.

“We were the first group of foreigners to be hosted by this village and many nights we were served solely wasps for dinner—both crispy adult wasps and slimy larvae!” Pflaum said.

Kendrick broadened his horizons and strengthened bonds with his group as they survived a monkey raid, contemplated life while laying in hammocks and listened to the story of an exiled Tibetan monk.

Phlaum has witnessed the profound effects these experiences have on students.

“Sometimes their entire perspective on the world is altered, other times they discover their life’s calling and begin, for the first time in their life, to pursue their purpose in life,” he said.

Kendrick said exploring such remote, unique places with the program really broadened his world view.

“It’s a wonderfully freeing feeling to get away from the Bethesda Bubble,” he said.

After the trip in Southeast Asia, Kendrick headed to the historic port city of Genoa, Italy. For the next three months, Kendrick, inspired by his previous study of Italian and participation on the robotics team, worked as an intern at Genoa Robotics and Animation Lab, which specializes in underwater robotics. Italian teacher Isabella Kyser helped coordinate the internship through her connections with the Italian Embassy.

“He’s taken that extra step you need as a language student—that’s the magic,” Kyser said.

In Italy, he lived at la Residenza delle Peschiere, a residential college for local university students, and developed his Italian skills and cultural understanding.

After finishing his robotics internship, Kendrick further pursued his high school interests in photography and Italian by interning at a local photography studio called “tstudio” while taking Italian literature classes.

The director of the studio, Timothy Costa, said Kendrick helped with many important projects, including creating a panorama of Genoa, working on an Indiegogo campaign, and translating material for a Milano exhibit.

“He just knocked to our door and asked if there was something for him, and we did not let him go,” Costa said.

Although Kenrick’s gap year will soon reach its end, a bright future lies in store for him.

When he returns to the U.S. this fall to commence his freshmen year of college, he plans on majoring in engineering or computer science. Now, thanks to his trip, he also wants to incorporate some liberal arts.

After experiencing the life-changing aspects of world travel, Kendrick says he would highly recommend gap years to others.

“Why not get more life perspective before spending a ridiculous amount of money on education?” Kenrick said. “Now I have a better sense of who I am and what I want to do.”

For more photos, check out Wes Kendrick’s blog and photo gallery.