The senior project is a rite of passage for students on their way out of high school and into their futures. It may only be a project involving something such as community service and a presentation to school officials, but there seems to be no limit to the extent some take their tasks.
Sarah Josten, a 2009 graduate of Sumner High School and one of its class speakers, is taking her project further than required.
In July, she and a group of seven others will travel to Kenya for two weeks to improve the lives of children at an orphanage. While at the orphanage, she and the other volunteers will be assisting with education and water cleanliness, along with other needs.
Meeting with Josten at a coffee shop in Sumner on a sun-drenched afternoon, it soon becomes clear she is as bright as the rays of light coming through the windows. She’s also very busy, having just handed in her senior-project portfolio on the day of the interview.
Josten arrives wearing a black T-shirt with the words “Team Agape” written on it. It is the name the group she arranged for the project is known as. Agape is a type of love which is spiritual and selfless and a model for humanity, which is what Josten’s project is about.
One of the turning points in Josten’s life, which she said led to her wanting to do a project like this, was watching a documentary about young soldiers, called “Invisible Children.” The documentary was about children in developing nations who are forced to fight in their countries’ conflicts.
She said watching the documentary opened her eyes up to a larger world and she was suddenly aware of the need to help others.
In preparing for the trip, Josten enlisted the help of fellow students.
Josten will be joined on the trip by Kelly Fitzpatrick, Carly Fitzpatrick, Jordan Daniels, Tim Hurd, John Norlin, Lindsay Slater, and Alissa Ramberg.
While she’s worked diligently for months on her project, the real work is just about to begin.
“A lot of the journey is about preparation,” Josten said.
The preparation Josten speaks of not only includes rallying a group of committed volunteers but also entailed a multitude of vaccinations against illnesses and the acquisition of the necessary documents to travel abroad such as passports and everyone needed to register with the U.S. Embassy.
Ongoing meetings were held with students and parents and concerns arose when there was an unexpected incident abroad.
When parents are told their children will be traveling abroad, it is typical for parents to feel a touch of anxiety, but in the midst of planning for the trip, news of piracy came from off the coast of Africa. Somali pirates hijacked a ship and demanded ransom money. The crew was eventually rescued, but the incident raised tensions amongst parents of students traveling.
Josten said her father expressed a lot of concern about the safety upon hearing of the turmoil and he was staying on top of the latest information.
“My dad is always tuned in to his Fox News Radio,” she said.
Josten said she appreciates her parents for giving her so much control over her trip.
“My parents did a really cool thing. They let me plan the project,” she said.
Josten’s project relates to her belief in what is known as the amazing law of influence as a model for helping others: “One life touches another life and potentially both lives are changed; one life touches another life and potentially the entire world is changed.”
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