By Erica Edman ‘21, Feature Editor

Everyone at Newark Academy has to do an immersion. Some people are terrified to do their immersion, while others are ecstatic. As each person plans their immersion experience, they are faced with the choice of doing a school sponsored trip or a trip with an outside program. In this article, I will dissect different people’s experiences with both Newark Academy immersions and outside immersions to help you make the choice of what might be best for you and your summer experience.

For my immersion experience, I went to Hawaii with a program called “Wilderness Adventures.” On the trip, I became certified in scuba diving, learned to surf, camped for 21 days, and went on many surfing and kayaking adventures. I decided to do an outside immersion because I wanted to be with a group of people that I had never met. I felt that camping for 21 days with a group of strangers was a way for me to have be truly immersed in the experience. I went into the experience more excited than worried as I felt ready for the adventure. I ended up loving my immersion because I was able to try so many things for the first time. Whether it setting up my first tent in the middle of the night or breathing underwater for the first time, I was gaining skills in areas I did not even realize I had an interest in

Julie Katz, a current junior, also decided to do an outside immersion. While Julie was less sure than I that she would enjoy her experience, she decided to challenge herself and go to Colorado to volunteer at a wolf sanctuary for 17 days. Julie decided she wanted to do this program because she liked dogs and thought that wolves would be similar to dogs. Julie also knew that she would not enjoy a camping trip so she purposely avoided intense camping. It surprised Julie how much she ended up liking her experience and she says that the trip “made me have more confidence in myself.” Julie’s experience choosing her immersion shows how it is possible to choose an immersion that can both challenge you and excite you.

Kylie Bill, unlike Julie and I, decided to go on an immersion run by the school. She chose to go on the Southwest Immersion because she wanted to push herself and get out of her comfort zone with the rigorous hiking and camping on the trip. Although she was going on a trip run by Newark Academy, Kylie did not know many of her fellow students on the trip. However, Kylie loved the trip and said that within three days, everyone on the trip had become really good friends. Kylie also says that not having her phone was important to “detach myself from the business of my life.” During her immersion, Kylie was able to push herself, have unforgettable experiences, and make new friends.

Lastly, sophomore Ashley Scheichet spent last summer on the Spain immersion. At first, Ashley wanted to find an outside immersion, but after going to immersion night and seeing the itinerary for the Spain immersion, she felt like the Spain trip was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Additionally, Ashley realized the convenience and comfort of being able to sign up for a school-run trip that she knew students in the past have enjoyed. Ashley loved her immersion experience. Even though she knew many different students on the trip with her, she came back closer to friends she already had, while also becoming friends with many others. Ashley was able to challenge herself during the homestay, where she stayed with a Spanish-speaking family who she had never talked to before the trip. However, Ashley loved talking to her host family and still keeps in touch with her “Spain girl.”

I hope all of these students’ experiences shed light on what you can get out of the immersion experience and how you can find the immersion that best fits you.