Lake Forest High School alumna credits gap year for new outlook

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Tina Setteducate of Lake Bluff stops for water and a good look at the view during a hike in the San Pedro Martir in Mexico in September. Setteducate will start her second gap-year adventure in February in South America. | Photo courtesy of Tina Setteducate

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:36AM

Leaving college for a year to backpack in Mexico -- and survive in the elements for 80 days with other young adults -- is the best decision Tina Setteducate of Lake Bluff feels she ever made.

“It taught me to be a good team member,” the 2010 Lake Forest High School graduate said.

And that’s not all she took away from the experience that began her two-semester-long gap year.

“Now I know I can do a lot more than I thought I could do — physically and mentally,” she said.

Setteducate’s journey to the mountains in Mexico began two years ago when she was a senior at Lake Forest High School and her parents took her to the Chicago Gap Year Fair at New Trier in Winnetka. It was there that Setteducate, who was always drawn to the outdoors and the West, first found out about the concept of taking a gap year — time off from school to pursue other endeavors and to volunteer to help others.

Getting past the ill-informed college “dropout” label and incredulous looks from her friends’ parents was probably the toughest part of the assignment.

“I didn’t drop out. I took a year off. I’m going back to school in the fall,” she said.

Indiana University, where she took education courses for a full year and got good grades and really loved, will be happy to have her back, actually.

“All I have to do is tell them I’m coming back,” she said.

But after spending time in remote Mexico and her upcoming adventure, which will take Setteducate to South America for 11 weeks to volunteer at an orphanage and lend a helping hand in rural communities, she’s not sure that’s what she wants to do.

“I’m considering psychology and nursing now,” she said. “And I’ve applied to a bunch of schools out West.”

The 2006 School of St. Mary graduate plans to spend a lot of time reflecting on what she wants to do as she travels through Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador helping others from mid-February to early May.

‘Best path’

“Hopefully on this trip, I’ll decide what is the best path for me,” she said. But the leaning toward nursing is pretty strong. “That’s something I could really see myself doing, especially after my experience in Mexico,” she said.

Student and Community Service Coordinator Kathy O’Hara said taking a gap year is slowly gaining ground at Lake Forest High School.

“It’s been very popular in Europe for a long time and is becoming more acceptable around here,” O’Hara said. She encourages students to attend this year’s Gap Fair Chicago at New Trier, 385 Winnetka Ave., Winnetka, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.

For juniors and seniors who feel under pressure about college applications and who are not ready to make a decision on a career, O’Hara said taking a gap year to gain valuable experience that college’s admire while giving themselves a chance to step back and learn more about themselves and what they might like to do.

“That’s what we’re trying to do here at the high school — show kids and parents there are options out there,” she said.

The fair in Chicago is run by Dynamy, which has offered gap year fairs for five years. Chicago is one of the original fairs and one of the most well-attended and draws one of the largest group of exhibitors.

“We have grown from eight to 30 fairs across the U.S. and see more demand each year,” said Kathy Cheng, director of admission at Dynamy.

At the Chicago fair, students and parents will have an opportunity to meet with guest speaker Holly Bull, who Cheng calls a “leading guru” on the gap year experience.

“Her talks cover topics such as why a student should consider a gap year, how to plan and research, how colleges view gap years and the benefits of a year off,” Cheng said.

Exhibitors that offer a variety of gap year programs will be on hand to answer questions about their offerings. That’s where Setteducate found out about the programs she chose.

Cherie Setteducate, Tina’s mom, is happy with the decision her oldest of three children has made and thinks she might mandate a gap year for her Tina’s younger sister and brother.

“Many kids are not sure what they want to do right out of high school — nor should they — and this extra year may help give them opportunity to get more clarity in this area,” Cherie said.

After just one semester of her gap year complete, Cherie already sees changes in Tina.

“She challenged her mind and body...to a level she never had before and this has done wonders for her confidence,” Cherie said.

Stepping out “of her comfort zone and mak(ing) an against the grain decision” was hard for Tina amongst her peers, but the results have been great, her mom said. Tina now has a “I can do anything” approach to life, Cherie said.

Tina is thankful for her parents’ openness and encouragement to put school on hold for a year to take a broader look at life.

After all, she noted, “college will always be there.”