Calvin Ross graduated from Palisades High in June with acceptances at several colleges, including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Diego State, but he was stymied. He couldn’t decide where to go because “I didn’t know what I wanted to major in.”
Since it didn’t seem practical for him to spend money at a four-year college if he wasn’t sure of his career path, Ross considered attending Santa Monica College. But at a wedding in January, he told a family friend about his dilemma. The friend knew Abby Falik, the founder of Global Citizen Year, and urged him to apply for the program.
The nonprofit, based in Oakland, recruits a diverse corps of graduating seniors and supports them with a bridge year of service in Africa, Latin America or Asia.
After speaking to his mom, Heidi Henkle, an acupuncturist who works in the Palisades, Ross applied. He was interviewed by a UCLA student and alumni of the program, and shortly afterwards was accepted and granted a $25,000 scholarship towards the $30,000 cost of the program.
After his acceptance, Ross’ first task was to raise $2,500. “The money goes to the fellowship fund, from which future scholarships will come,” said Ross, who attended Marquez and Revere. He started a letter-writing and e-mail campaign to friends and family for support.
One of the first to respond was Palisadian Jeff Pion, vice chairman of CBRE Global Brokerage Services. “My wife and I are starting a ‘challenge pool’ for Calvin that will match 10 percent of whatever he raises to get him started,” Pion said. “He is a great kid.” To date Ross has raised $1,650.
His father is Tom Ross and his grandmother is Dottie Henkle, the longtime store manager at Bentons on Swarthmore.
Given his choice of Ecuador, Brazil or Senegal, Ross received his first choice, Ecuador, and he hopes to be fluent in Spanish when he returns in eight months. He took three years of Spanish at Pali and is using Rosetta Stone this summer.
Ross, who played setter for the PaliHi varsity volleyball team and his club team, Pali 18s, was busy with practices during the week and tournaments almost every weekend until his club team concluded its season at Junior Olympics in Reno.
“We didn’t live up to expectations,” said Ross, who also played AYSO soccer and as a freshman played for the Pali JV team. “Maybe I’ll take up soccer again in Ecuador.”
On August 21, Ross leaves for Stanford for a two-week orientation before flying to Ecuador.
Ross loves to read, especially science fiction and history, but is not sure about the availability of books. His assigned packing list is stringent: “Only two cotton T-shirts, one or two pair of shorts, five button-down shirts, two or three pair of khaki pants, and a suit because we’re expected to dress more formally.”
He will stay the first month at Quito with a host family, but doesn’t know where he’ll be sent or what he’ll be doing.
“Maybe I’ll be teaching English or working on a hospital or on a farm,” Ross said. “I try not to be nervous—there are so many unknowns—but I’m excited to be committed to something that I know so little about. It will be a year to be with myself and experience a whole new culture and live with a new family.”
An Eagle Scout in local Troop 223, some of his longest trips outside of California have been two-week camping trips to New Mexico, the Pacific Northwest and Idaho.
Ross is not sure what he’ll do when he returns home because he has been advised not to apply to college while on a bridge year.
To donate and track his adventures in Ecuador, visit: globalcitizenyear.org/author/calvin-ross/.
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