On March 7, 1876, Canadian inventor Alexander Graham Bell filed a patent for the very first rendition of the telephone. His telephone, however, is very different from the mobile phones that we as a society rely on for everyday use. The world is ever-changing, and technology changes right along with it. The problem with easy-to-access cellular devices though, is that we don’t take the time to appreciate the world around us because we are all too busy staring at our phones.
The Outward Bound non-profit organization hopes to fix that, and in winning this year’s scholarship, junior Jacob Barash hopes to explore what nature has to offer.
The Perry S. Levy Outward Bound Scholarship is an annual grant offered to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It gives KO students the opportunity to experience the outdoors in its fullest extent. This year, Jacob was awarded the scholarship for a trip of his choice this coming summer. “I was a bit surprised actually that I won,” Jacob began. “I wasn’t expecting much. My application, I thought, was good, but obviously, winning anything is a surprise.”
This won’t be Jacob’s first outdoor adventure, however. Even as a child, he was an avid hiker and didn’t pass up any opportunity to go outside. “There’s a path behind my house in the woods that leads to Reservoir 6,” he explained. “There’s this small island that has a tree on it. So we walked my dog there fairly often.” Along with his close proximity to nature, Jacob’s father also nurtured his love for the outdoors. “My dad, from an early age, has taken me out into the woods just to work there or make a path,” Jacob stated. “I think without him, I probably wouldn’t be so interested in nature.”
Jacob plans to use his grant to attend a week-long backpacking trip in North Carolina through the Blue Ridge Mountains. “I don’t know much about the mountains,” Jacob prefaced. “I haven’t been there, and they don’t tell you exactly the route you’re going to take. They give you that closer to the actual date.” The Blue Ridge Mountains are known for their natural beauty, which is mainly why he decided to choose that specific trip.
Jacob then explained what he hopes to get out of the experience. “I want to learn some skills about being in the outdoors so maybe one day I can go camping by myself or without a supervisor,” he said. “I hope to foster that love for the outdoors.”
Jacob mentioned that depending on how the backpacking goes, he might decide to go on another trip through the Outward Bound program in the future. “Even if I don’t go back to Outward Bound, I hope that this experience inspires me to keep going camping and exploring the outdoors,” he said.
