“Compassion, love, and care for our clients and families are what link us. In these trying times, let’s be there for each other with open-mindedness, support, and love in your hearts.” -Sean M Rose, Founder and Owner of Point School Puerto Rico. During this polarizing time in the United States, there is no better way to find empathy and understanding for one another than to experience life outside your comfort zone. According to the 2015 National Alumni Survey hosted by the Gap Year Association, 94% of students report their gap year experience to have positively impacted the way they interact with people from different backgrounds than their own.
Travel is necessary for a gap year experience though, which is no slight decision during a global pandemic. Puerto Rico had one of the earliest and strictest responses to coronavirus. Due to fast action and restrictions on communal places, Puerto Rico remains low in active COVID-19 cases. Now, after three months, the governor of Puerto Rico has lifted lockdown policies, and we are proceeding cautiously with continued social distancing and the wearing of masks. Traveling cautiously and abiding by health regulations can now make taking a gap year a very achievable option.
Point School Puerto Rico is a cultural immersion experience that allows young men to become part of the community of Isabela, PR. They learn basic Spanish. They celebrate the local holidays. They get to know the cuisine, music, and lifestyle. Most importantly, they learn the names and faces of their neighbors thus finding a community very unlike their own, but full of love and acceptance. “When we run into friends in the community, they call our guys by name and shake their hands. Community members ask the guys how they are doing, if they’re liking Puerto Rico, if they’ve stood up on a surfboard yet, and if they’ve had the fish tacos at Ola Lola’s.” -Tracey Gerlach, Director of PSPR. If you’re looking for a safe and accepting community to step outside your comfort zone within, Point School Puerto Rico can offer just that.
About Point School Puerto Rico
Point School Puerto Rico is a hybrid gap year program for young adult men, ages 18-22 that integrates cultural immersion, experiential and service learning with positive self-discovery. Each young man at PSPR has the opportunity to build positive self-identity through career, interest and personal exploration based on individual strengths.