Eli Kilgore

In my senior year I went to school for two and a half months in France as part of a language intensive program for my school system. Duing those two months I lived with a family, and spoke only french. I was responsible for getting myself to school, feeding myself, and generally taking care of myself. It wasn't that I was ignored, things are just done differently there. This was the first time I'd ever been forced to act like an adult, and it influenced me in many ways. Ever since I returned from France I've been more mature, more responsible, and more independent. That trip defined my life. I finally decided that I wanted to work with the UN, or some other international organization to help resolve conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. I was forced to become more comfortable with myself, and more willing to take risks, because I was living in a new place, where I needed to make new friends and have new experiences. This picture was taken by my friend Jenny as we walked back from the beach in our small town.