Bishop Noll Institute sophomore Lauren Richey turned her summer vacation into an adventure this year.
Richey participated in a month-long VISIONS Service Adventures trip to assist the Athabaskan people of Tetlin, Alaska.
“I wanted to volunteer and give back to others in some way this summer, and thought this trip would help me achieve that goal,” she said.
Along with 20 other high school students, Richey helped rebuild the roof of the oldest cabin in the Alaskan village.
“It was hard and a little scary because I have never been on a roof before, let alone one that was a hundred years old. First we had to tear up the old sod roof and we had to shovel all the dirt off the roof,” she said.
“Other projects we did were making doors, building benches, building a fire pit and clearing an area where local children go swimming.”
Also on the agenda for Richey was backpacking and ice climbing during a three-day camping trip in McCarthy National Park.
“On our day hike we climbed up to the top of a mountain. It was really fun and it was the best view of my life. I have never seen something so beautiful than the view from on top a mountain. It took forever to get up there and it was a lot of hard work but it was most definitely worth it,” she said.
“Alaska was a completely different lifestyle then I was used to. Although I missed my family, it was an amazing trip.”
Richey is the daughter of Karen and Max Richey II, of Hammond, and attends Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland.
She maintains a 4.0 grade point average at BNI and is active on the soccer team and the yearbook staff. Upon graduation, she plans to study medicine and become a doctor.
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