Let’s just be honest: no one goes on a trip to the other side of the world and isn’t anxious about it. Meet Maegan – one of our Positive Tracks Next Gen students. Coming to us from Princeton University, Maegan shares her biggest apprehensions about joining 34 other students at the 2015 Lost Mountain Next Gen Symposium, what she’s most looking forward to, and why meeting us in Mozambique is the perfect balance of risk and reward. Check it out in this new Next Gen Voice Blog.

Curious as to what a Positive Tracks Next Gen Student is? To us, a Next Gen is any young person who pursues their passions for driving positive change, exploring this great planet, forming new connections, and creating lasting impact. Maegan is also one of our students that is 23 and younger who gets her fundraising dollars matched by Positive Tracks— a national, youth-centric nonprofit that helps young people get active and give back using the power of sport and adventure. 

To say the least, I am anxious to go to Gorongosa in July, both in an excited and an apprehensive way.

I am excited to have the opportunity to discuss conservation, something I truly care about, and to meet other people who share this feeling. Whenever I think about this opportunity, I cannot help but think how perfectly it fits in with my interests and passions. I have always loved the outdoors, and therefore care deeply about its conservation. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work to protect a piece of the outdoors and to work together with other like-minded people.

I am also excited to travel to Africa for the first time and to get the chance to meet people from around the world. Of course, this is also an apprehension because I will be traveling by myself to the farthest I have ever been away from my home in Southern California, and I will not know anyone at the symposium at first.

To me, there is a balance between risk and reward when you embark on journeys like this. I definitely feel like I’m pushing myself outside of my comfort zone because, like so many people, can be a bit anxious when I am first around new people. I also don’t have a full picture of what to expect – I mean, I have a lot of information, schedules and logistics but it’s all of the intangible pieces which remain a mystery that are both a source of anxiety but also of great excitement.

I think that it will all be worth any discomfort I’m feeling right now because when I have been in situations like this in the past, I always enjoy myself and learn a lot, and then can’t imagine my life without that new experience as a part of it.

Everything will be new when I arrive. New people, new places, new ideas. I plan on embracing all of these new things fully. Every change is an opportunity to better the situation and by pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, I can fully embrace all opportunities to better both myself and ideally the world.

I cannot wait for it to be July 11th and to be in Mozambique starting the symposium. I am blessed to have this opportunity, and I cannot wait for it to begin.

Maegan Richards is an undergraduate student majoring in Geosciences at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Maegan is one of The Lost Mountain’s Positive Tracks Next Gens. Positive Tracks is a national, youth-centric nonprofit that helps Generation Next get active and give back using the power of sport. The Positive Tracks program plugs into charitable athletic events to double dollars and amplify awareness generated by ages 23 and under. In 2015 Positive Tracks, together with our outdoor industry partners, will double every dollar Next Gen Symposium participants fundraise until we have $90,000 for innovative integrated conservation.