12 / GRADUATION GUIDE / THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Wide range of options available for new graduates
BY CLAIRE MCINERNY editor@kansan.com
As some seniors are preparing for jobs and planning their lives after school, some students are experiencing a different scenario the end of college panic.
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Four years of classes and one degree later, some students do not know what to do next.
er. One opportunity that enables students to make that happen is through Teach for America. Teach For America is a program that allows recent college graduates to teach in public schools in low-income communities. The assignment lasts for two years.
ment tasks for Gina Littlejohn, the campus campaign coordinator for Teach For America, the program aca way to prolong having to find a job, but rather look at it as a way to find new opportunities and new ways for students to use their passions. She said a lot of politicians who now work in Congress were in the program and are now fighting for education rights.
PEACE CORPS
Like Teach For America, the
Wiechman spent his two years in Saint Lucia doing community development. He helped a farmers' cooperative develop a grant proposal to get funding for a composting project from the United Nations and also taught reading and music at a school.
The Peace Corps was an attractive option for Wiechman because he did not have a clear direction
FEATURE
AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE RARE EXPERIENCES OF KU STUDENTS
WHAT IT'S LIKE
TO CLIMB MOUNT
KILIMANJARO
By Peter Tosco
As told to Rachel Cheon
Peter, a graduate student, was doing a threemonth internship in South Africa in 2008. He wanted to do something big before leaving, so he booked a seven-day tour to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet.
Before the climb, I met my group of 11 — a guide, an assistant guide, tourists Evan and David, and two porters who carried lodging equipment per tourist. The porters walked ahead of the group, leaving only a group of five
people to climb.
The first few days of climbing were relatively easy. The further we climbed, the climate changed from tropical rain forest weather to alpine forest weather. When we reached 15,000 feet, I had to hike back down to camp at 13,000 feet in order to prevent altitude sickness. On day four, I had to climb the Barranco Wall, which is this really imposing wall that just seems like a vertical climb. On day five, I made it to the final camp before the summit. By this point, the landscape seemed like Mars in a way; nothing was growing. We arrived at the final camp at 4 p.m. and were given six hours to rest before hiking up to the summit. We climbed to the summit at night to avoid weather disasters during the day and to come back down while
the sun is up.
It was extremely cold and the surface of the trail had loose pebbles lying around. We were climbing a 70- to 80-degree incline, so there
they couldn't go on, in which case the assistant guides went down with them. I knew I wouldn't give up, but I really had to push myself to keep going. I had the soundtrack to the fourth Rocky
I HAD TO HIKE BACK DOWN TO CAMP AT 13,000 FEET IN ORDER TO PREVENT ALTITUDE SICKNESS.
Hiking up to the summit for seven to eight hours was the most physically difficult thing I've ever done. Some of the people summiting were puking on the sides, telling their guides that
was no way to get secure footing.
Those who hadn't gotten altitude sickness yet, certainly got it here.
movie playing nonstop on my iPod. I had been saving my iPod for the final climb to the summit so the battery wouldn't run out.
During the climb, our group would stop every 30 minutes or so and have biscuits and warm tea to keep us energized. There was a full moon, providing just enough illumination that I could see around the mountain without needing a flashlight, but I wore it on my head anyway.
At the top, I had such an amazing feeling. It was early morning, so the sun was shining, and I could look down and see other mountain peaks nearby. I was above the clouds and the view was beautiful. I was like, "Holy! I'm on the top of everyone else in this continent!" We stayed there for about a half hour.
Some of the ice had melted during the day, so I kind of skied back down the pebbly path. You can actually climb down in one day, but I paid for seven days and wanted to have the entire experience. On the last day, I came to the base and received a certificate. I had scheduled a safari the next day, but I was physically and mentally tired, so I decided to lounge around and rest in my hotel before returning to South Africa.
Contributed photo
At 19,340 feet: Peter stands at the Uhuru Peak
of Mount Kilimanjaro with his guide.