Maddie Berrang ’09 Writes Home from Ecuador

Life can take you on unexpectedly wonderful adventures, to places you had never expected, and on journeys you had never even dreamt about. You can find yourself looking back at the path that has led you to your current job, city, relationship, continent, and ask yourself what the tipping point was that started the journey that led you to this place.

I’m sitting in Quito, Ecuador, asking myself these same questions. I’ve been living here for seven months, teaching English at a university and working with E-Tech International, an NGO committed to assisting communities affected by mining. I have spent the past five years devoted to researching and my desire to work in Latin America. After graduating from Waynflete, I  took a year off and volunteered at Safe Passage in Guatemala City. My year there solidified my love for Latin America and working with other cultures. Then, at McGill University, I majored in Latin American Studies and International Development. During my four years there I researched Canadian mining in Latin America and the environmental and social problems that it causes. That research is what brought me to Ecuador in the first place.

When I reflect back on my past five years and the journey that led me to Ecuador, I realize that the starting point was Waynflete Upper School. More specifically, my journey started my first semester of 9^th grade when I joined the Safe Passage activity, which raised money to sponsor a Safe Passage student. Through this group I was given my first opportunity to travel to Guatemala to teach lacrosse to middle school girls and immediately fell in love with the organization and the country.

It is easy to point to my first trip to Safe Passage as the key to where I am today, but really, it was just a small part. My entire experience at Waynflete was what shaped my future; the school  fostered my sense of adventure and my desire to give back to my community and to communities worldwide. The teachers pushed me take on a larger role in my classes and activities, demanded that I think critically and expansively about things, and always encouraged me to go above and beyond my own goals, whatever they may have been. The classes opened my eyes to new topics and ideas, and made me view information from all different angles. Students are given the freedom to collaborate and reach their own conclusions, which makes us think critically about the information we are being taught and the environment in which we live. Graduates then take this critical thinking attitude and apply it to the rest of their lives, questioning what they hear and see, and looking for ways to better the lives of those around them.

In addition to academics, Waynflete offered me many extracurricular activities to feed my desire to work with children. Along with Safe Passage, I was a member of Make-A-Wish for four years, mentored an elementary school girl with Project Respect for three years, coached lacrosse at the Waynflete Summer Camp, and tutored a 2^nd grader in math for a year. These experiences showed me that helping other people is not only worthwhile, it is an essential part of being a compassionate and caring world citizen.

The teachers at Waynflete are truly what impacted me and changed the course of my life. Those teachers were huge influences on my life when I was in high school and continue to influence me today. They encouraged me to think freely, question everything, and always follow my passions, no matter what they were. Sue Stein, the ELL teacher, traveled with me to Guatemala on my second volunteer trip. We worked together with one year olds, and her presence on that trip made it much more special. Sue is still a big part of my life, and we continue to keep in touch even five years after I graduated.

Other teachers have been equally important in positively shaping my high school experience. Lowell Libby, Upper School director, was not only my 12^th grade English teacher, but also my mentor and therapist when I would go to his office unannounced and rant about issues that I was facing in my personal essays. He helped edit my college essay and put up with multiple trips by both my younger sister and me to his house after school if we wanted extra help.

Cathie Connors (one of the kindest, funniest, most wonderful women I have met) was my lacrosse coach and helped me gain the confidence I needed to later become the captain of my college lacrosse team. I didn’t make the varsity team my freshman year at Waynflete, and Cathie encouraged me to be more confident in my skills. I still remember that she once referenced a drill when a varsity upperclassman and I were chasing a ground ball and I purposefully slowed down and let the other player get it. Cathie said that I should always go full speed after loose balls like that and never be held back by my own fears or insecurities. I still clearly remember that conversation and apply that advice to every situation in my life. Those are the kind of values that Cathie and other teachers instill in their students: to always go after what you want and don’t let you or anyone else – or yourself – hold you back.

Waynflete influenced my life more than I could have imagined. When I reflect on what brought me to teaching English in Ecuador, collecting lacrosse gear for children in Guatemala, and researching destructive mining throughout Latin America, I realize it all began at Waynflete. Some people may think that high school is just a 4-year period before going to college to get a degree that will hopefully lead to a high paying job. From my experience, I know that high school can be and should be a place that shapes your morals and serves as a jumping off point for amazing, life changing adventures.

Maddie is organizing a lacrosse gear drive to benefit girls in Guatemala City.  The drive ends in mid-December.  Click here for more information about the drive.