Jahaira A. 2012 Fellow
Jahaira began her Brownstein Fellow experience by traveling to Borneo where she volunteered as a construction worker. After completing the Borneo program she took a mini-tour of Europe and returned to California before moving on to Australia, where she planned to complete her gap year experience. Soon after arriving in Australia, however, Jahaira discovered that she was pregnant. Unable to continue with her service project, she returned to California, married and is today the stay-at-home mother of a two-year-old daughter. Jahaira's family moves often because of her husband's military commitments. He serves in the U.S. Navy and currently they are calling Seattle home.
“I’m planning to work as soon as I can, and getting an education is still one of my aspirations,” says Jahaira. “When I think about my gap year, it seems so far away, but it is definitely one of the best and most valuable experiences of my life. If it hadn’t been for that gap year I wouldn’t be me. It was sort of like a trip of self discovery.”
“I’m planning to work as soon as I can, and getting an education is still one of my aspirations,” says Jahaira. “When I think about my gap year, it seems so far away, but it is definitely one of the best and most valuable experiences of my life. If it hadn’t been for that gap year I wouldn’t be me. It was sort of like a trip of self discovery.”