My name’s Tristan Hanraets. I’m seventeen years old, and I’m in my Junior year at Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine. When I learned more about Broadreach, and the myriad programs which the organization offers, I have to say I was blown away by the wealth of opportunities they provide. What really got me interested was the opportunity to take a trip to Belize, to get the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Certification. For the past three years, I’ve been training in the Candidate program to become a jacketed volunteer Ski Patroller at Sunday River Ski Resort, in Bethel, Maine. To accommodate for this program, I’ve been trained in First Aid with the American Red Cross, and I’m currently training to get my Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC) Certification this spring. From the start, I’ve always been interested in learning the skills of WFR, and to be able to do so in the wilderness of Belize makes this trip a real dream come true.

Besides my interest in emergency medical response and care, I’m also really passionate for Scuba diving. I first started diving when I was eleven, when I got my open water certification with PADI. After that, I got my advanced open water certification when I was 14, and my rescue diver certification last year. Coming from a sailing family, I’ve always loved being in, on, or near the ocean.

My school, Gould Academy, has a program dubbed “Four-Point”, which aims to acculturate students, and broaden their horizons and perspective on this world. Freshmen year, students are sent on a trip to China to expose them to strong and historically different cultures. Sophomore year, students stay together, living on campus, volunteering at shelters, embracing their artistic selves, and learning about the meaning of Community. Juniors are divided into groups and sent out into the woods in early March, on a ten-day winter hiking and camping trip through the mountains of Maine, to find their sense of teamwork, survival, and belonging. For their Senior year, students are asked to make their own project, reach outside the school curriculum, and find an independent experience that they’re passionate about. Obviously, when I came across the trip to Belize, I knew that this is what I wanted to do for my Senior Four-point.

In most senses, I am a traveler. With my father being from New Zealand I have traveled between there and Maine a number of times, as well as several places in the Caribbean. The more of the world I travel to and experience, the more I want to see. I’ve come to realize that the most we can do to embrace this world we share is to travel to and live in as much of it as we possibly can. The natural beauty of the earth around us is unending. I love going almost anywhere, from mountains, to forests, to cities, to rural towns, in order to truly experience the culture of wherever I am. The next step I see myself taking to both empower myself as a medical responder, and embrace the ineffable wonders of the natural world is with you in Belize. There I feel I can really make experiences and memories to last a lifetime, and truly better myself as a person.

Sincerely,

Tristan Hanraets