WALKABOUT GRADUATES MAKE THEIR MARK

Alissa Schut found a passion for psychology. Jamal Eissa went from dreading school to loving it.  And Landon Becker-Parton is now hearing songs on the radio that he worked on during his internship at SRC Records in New York City.

These are just some of the stories from this year’s graduates of Walkabout, a unique, yearlong program for college-bound high school seniors. Walkabout students earn a full-year of academic credit, spend two weeks backpacking as a group to gain confidence and build a sense of community, spend four weeks in a service learning project and complete a 10-week career internship.

Along the way, Walkabout students gain confidence, motivation and direction for the future. Many graduates credit the program, which was founded in 1977, with changing their life.  Walkabout has been proven effective by the New York State Education Department and has been named one of the top 40 experientially oriented programs in the United States by the National Institute of Education.

Of her internship in the Psychiatric Unit at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Tarrytown, Alissa Schut of Putnam Valley said, “My heart broke listening to each patient’s story, but my love for psychology grew stronger. I realized that’s what I want to do with my life.” Alissa will be attending SUNY Potsdam in the fall to study psychology.

Landon Becker-Parton of Sleepy Hollow said Walkabout taught him how to be a leader both inside and outside the classroom. Landon, who interned at SRC Records in New York City, said he loved his internship so much that he asked to continue in it after the 10-week internship had ended. That meant juggling a demanding academic schedule with trips into the city to work at SRC but he did it.

“I got invited to a creative meeting with artists and I’m now hearing songs I worked on playing on the radio,” said Landon, explaining how his hard work paid off.

Sean Cristiano of Chappaqua worked with elementary school students at the Jacob Burns Film Center for his internship, teaching them how to write dialogue and view films more critically. Sean plans to study English in college and hopes to become a writer.

Jamal Eissa of Yorktown said he made a vow when he came to Walkabout to overcome his fear that people would not like him, and to put himself out there to make friends. He said the year in Walkabout re-awakened his interest in art and learning, helped him to overcome a phobia about insects and brought him closer to his parents and sister.“I’m proud of myself every day for choosing to apply to Walkabout,” Jamal said.

More than 92 percent of Walkabout students have gone on to college, with graduates attending schools such as Princeton, Amherst, Ohio Wesleyan, SUNY New Paltz, Bard, Antioch and others.