In this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karla Quintanilla. To say that Karla is something special would be the understatement of the year. Karla is one of the wisest, most mature 20-somethings I’ve met in a long time. Just wait until you hear her story about the big aha moment she had in high school that led her to take a gap year. I’m sure you will be inspired by Karla when you hear all about her journey halfway around the world and back again, and how she eventually ended up at the happiest place on earth. Karla continues to navigate some unexpected twists and turns but she remains optimistic about her future. While now may not seem like the best time to think about traveling during a gap year, I believe that my conversation with Karla will provide parents and teens with some much-needed hope about the future opportunities our world has to offer.
About Karla Quintanilla
Karla attended high school in Pennsylvania and graduated in 2017. Throughout high school, she had been involved with the arts, including musical theater and choir. So when she started applying to colleges, it just made sense to her to go into vocal performance or musical theater. Karla was accepted to some of the colleges she applied to but was rejected by her dream school. She then realized that something wasn’t clicking. She was unsure if she was ready to take the next step on her academic journey. When she thought about her degree long term, she was feeling confused. The thought of starting college right away made her take a step back and ask herself if that was really what she wanted to do. She heard about the idea of taking a gap year and decided that she would do that the following year.
Episode Highlights
- Trusting Her Gut and Choosing a Gap Year
- Let the Gap Year Begin on the Other Side of the World
- Karla’s Gap Year, Phase 1: Volunteer Voyage In India
- Karla’s Gap Year, Phase 2: Exploring Entrepreneurship in San Francisco
- Karla’s Gap Year, Phase 3: Starting an Internship
- After the Gap Year: Karla’s Next Step
- Karla’s Advice to Teens Considering College
- Lessons Learned During Her Gap Year
- The Biggest Challenges of Karla’s Gap Year
- Life After Her Gap Year
- Karla’s Advice to Teens Thinking About a Gap Year
- An Update From Karla and Her Plans for The Future
Resources
Follow Karla on Instagram
Taking a year on, not off TEDx Talk