My name is Brandy Smith and I am a member of BEYOND LIMITS. I just got involved this fall and am already immersed in the project. Hiking the Appalachian Trail is an experience that many people take advantage of to find themselves. So I caught myself thinking, who needs to find themselves most?
The answer I came to was seniors in high school and recent high school graduates. People in this age group are trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives, they’re transitioning from a kid to an adult. Most of them will be starting college or work, so it might be hard for them to dedicate their whole summer to hiking the Appalachian trail. BEYOND LIMITS offers an opportunity for people in this age group to come help Dr. J and her team to hike the trail. They won’t have to give up their whole summer: they can give two weeks — or even two hours – of their time and still have an eye-opening experience about what they can and can’t do in their lives. I think that helping prove that there’s no reason to tell yourself you can’t do something is a great way to start the rest of your life.