Tanzania, Africa - A place where I discovered my purpose. 

In 2009, when I was 16 years old, I traveled to Tanzania, Africa for the first time to volunteer with an AIDS orphanage and local primary school. In collaboration with the KNOCK Foundation and Insight Seminars, myself, and seventeen other teen leaders came together with a vision - spread our love and light to a community that needs some extra support.

For six months we raised money to make our dream a reality. Within just a few months, we managed to raise nearly $125,000 to help support each of our expenses, with ample money to spare, in which we donated to several projects to support Tanzanian students. After this trip, I returned on my own over the following two years.

This is a blog post I wrote back in 2009 that I would like to share with you. Though it is a bit over-fantasized (as I was merely 16 when I wrote it), I still recall the impact this experience had on me. It made me realize my purpose: to serve and love others. It reads:

When asked to condense two life-changing weeks into a few paragraphs about my unbelievable experience, I found it very challenging; however, it can be done. For starters, my name is Sara Hilecher, and as of August 19th, 2009 when I returned to the LAX airport, I was and am a completely enlightened 16 year old. I had the outstanding opportunity to travel to Tanzania, Africa for two weeks to work with an AIDS orphanage and the local primary school as part of a collaboration between Insight Seminars and the Knock Foundation. Words cannot describe how amazing this dream of mine was and the deep love I felt for those people. From the second we all got off the bus at the school, we were bombarded, kids screaming and cheering out of excitement. The language barrier was not even relative, because the statement stands strong, “Love is the universal language.”

We showed up with open arms and the willingness to connect with them, and love is exactly what we got. We connected with them all right away, whether it was giving them a little tickle or head noogie, picking up a ball and throwing it to them or even singing and dancing. I knew I would get attached to the children and I knew I would fall in love with them, but what I didn’t know was the extent to which my intention would be fulfilled. I had no idea it was possible to feel the way I felt about them after a short two weeks. Getting to experience their culture and their unstoppable happiness for life is merely inspirational. With the little that they have in the community they live, they are happier than so many Americans I’ve ever met who have an excess of material items.

Each and every one of them has this pureness, this love that no one can take away from them, and to see how the struggles they go through are 100 percent disregarded and forgotten, overpowered by hope and acceptance, is nothing but breathtaking.

For as long as I can remember, it had been my dream to go to Africa to serve the people and the community. When one sets an intention, pictures it, and is willing to do the work to make it happen, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I held that image and knew someday I would be there.

A year ago I had participated in a seminar called Teen Insight Leadership. Teen Insight is a series of self-empowerment seminars, offered worldwide, and contains a Teen Insight I, II, III and Leadership program. There have only been two groups of teens who have completed the Leadership training; however, after that, there are no more trainings. We teens wanted to take what we've learned and continue the work, so we took the initiative as new leaders, to take the next step and spread what we’ve learned internationally. Long story short, with the intention of Africa in mind, I got in contact with the founder of the KNOCK Foundation, a very close family friend by the name of Kim Krowne, and with her help, and that of several Insight staff and parents, we teens put everything together to create our dream.

It was a one year process, fundraising almost every weekend – from bake sales to babysitting to individual meetings with corporate sponsors, and at the end of the fundraising process, we ended up raising $125,000. We did it-teenagers with the simple intention and hearts striving to accomplish this seemingly impossible endeavor. And with that money, we ended up painting the entire school, building a classroom, filling it with 21 desks, painting an inspirational mural, scrubbing the school’s filthy walls, and much more. We also brought $250 worth of toys (A LOT of toys) dispersing them to everyone, consisting of jump ropes, soccer balls, yo yo's, harmonicas, baseball equipment and more.

We donated a ton of school supplies to them, considering they have very little, and ended up giving them our battery operated sound system with microphones. On top of the physical things, we led three different seminars for the various age groups on topics ranging from dreams, goals, and intentions. By the end, they really began to understand the true meaning of a dream. These children have had very little opportunity to express what they want to be, or anything about their feelings, for that matter. I heard some outstanding things such as “I want to be a soldier”, “I want to be a nurse”, and “I want to go to a university.” Truly impressive and inspirational.

Many American teenagers take advantage of their education and dread the fact that they have to go to school. On the other hand, the kids in Africa want, more than anything, to go to secondary school (high school) and eventually a university, but can’t because it costs $200 per year to attend a public high school and that is beyond most of their families' means. Almost every American wants the updated camera, cell phone, laptop or ipod, while people in Africa don’t even have electricity. They walk around wearing ripped up shirts and torn apart shoes. They don’t even have the privilege of having clean water as it all contains chemicals that gets people sick. They have beds purely of sponge and a blanket as a pillow. Their backpacks are plastic bags and their pencils are sliced pieces of wood with less than an inch of lead in it.The little girls wear sticks in their ear piercings and are so fascinated by a simple earring. Every person I know wouldn’t think twice about having a pencil, and if their backpack had a small hole, well, it’s time for a new one. We drink as much water as we can get our hands on and don’t think twice about getting a disease as a result. As 16 year olds, new to driving, we complain about not having the car that we want, these Tanzanian children literally walk miles through corn fields to get from place to place.

Plain and simple: We are not grateful. At the end of the day of any African child’s life, they have a smile on their face and run to anyone and give them a hug, not caring about what they lack and being SO extremely grateful to a new addition to their wardrobe (as I donated a few of my clothes that I took on the trip). I found myself giving them a pen, my earrings, my huge water bottles, paper, shirts, hair scrunchies, hand sanitizer, all of which I never think twice about. Getting that opportunity to truly be grateful for what I had is amazing.

Leaving those kids broke my heart. Their puppy dog eyes as they looked up to you with this look of pure love brought tears to my eyes and made my heart physically ache. One girl in particular, Selena was her name, never left my side. She managed to find me anywhere I was, and would latch onto me and not let go. It wasn’t until I accompanied her to church one Sunday that she told me she didn’t have a mom and that she thought of me as her new mom. Immediately tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks and I felt this unbelievable amount of love and empathy for her. This trip was outstanding, hands down the best experience of my life. And I really encourage anyone if they get the opportunity to do this or anything like it to try reaching out. The act of service, being completely and 100 percent giving, is the best feeling in the world. Seeing people realizing that others care about them is unbelievable and makes me feel like I can achieve anything. So get out there and serve others. Whether it is stopping at a corner at a homeless person’s “home” and giving them a dollar or two, or it’s putting together a bagged lunch and giving it to a homeless person. Maybe it is reading to underprivileged children or volunteering at an orphanage. Service can even be giving your little sibling a hug or telling your parents you love them. Anything that makes someone happy is service, and it is not hard to do at all. Do it because you can. There is no limit, no rulebook to serving and giving.

These pictures were also taken in Tanzania, Africa. 

After I left Tanzania for the first time, I made a promise to the community members that I would be back. After leaving, I simply could not stop thinking about this beautiful country - its people, its smells, its color, and the euphoria I felt when I was there.

I decided to go back for the following two years, and bring a friend each time. This image holding the water was an exercise I led (inspired by Insight Seminars - an exercise we did the year prior) where the teachers all blessed a cup of water with their dream and vision of the school for the year, and placed it in this pot. We combined all of the teachers dreams, and watered the "Dream Tree". It is a way for the teachers to come together, discuss their vision, and collectively put their energy in to achieving it.

The following picture is of myself and my friend Hanna. The two of us met at Insight Seminars, and went together the first time. Two years later, her and I decided to go back together for 3 weeks. It's always so important to travel with like-minded, passionate people. 

I have always been OBSESSED with sunsets. When I was little, my family would acknowledge the sunset almost every day; whether we would stop the car to watch it, or all go outside to admire.

To me, sunsets are a display of the Universe showing me how beautiful and simple the world is. No matter what is going on in our lives, the sun will always rise in the morning, and set at night. We can either be there to meet it and appreciate its beauty and warmth, or choose to turn ourselves away from the Light. 

Either way, we have a choice. I choose to acknowledge the beauty and continue to be grateful for the beautiful colors the sunsets create for us.

Graduated from Chapman University with a degree in Integrated Educational Studies and a minor in Leadership Studies. 

Chapman University is an institution that I cannot recommend enough. I transferred to this university from Pitzer College after my Freshman year, and was blown away by the difference. For me, Chapman served as a diverse, personalized education that urged me to challenge my own perspectives and consider new ones. The professors were outstanding - all incredibly passionate, experienced, and accessible to help his or her students. 

While I went to Chapman, I worked for the Office of Admission as a campus tour guide and office assistant, I served as the Philanthropy Coordinator for the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation on campus, I organized multiple keynote speaking engagements, I studied abroad, danced on a dance team, and somehow pulled off a 3.8 to name a few. If you compared that 3 resume to any other Chapman student, though, it would look like I was lazy. 

The students motivated me to be better - more ambitious. Everyone was involved with hundreds of things at once (jobs, internships, projects, club participation, greek life, research, etc.) while kicking A$$ in a full course load of rigorous academics. 

My college experience was different than the rest. I was not a huge party goer or socialite; however, I still - truly - valued my time as a college student. I learned about myself. I faced hard questions of self-discovery, fell on my butt a time or two, and made it out a better citizen of the world - an advocate for inclusivity and leadership. 

This university is simply special. 

While in Africa, I (of course) had to go on a true African safari. 

With an AMAZING company called Pristine Trails (http://www.pristinetrails.com/), my group experienced a two-day safari. Experiencing these animals in their natural habitat - raw, untouched land - was just pure magic. I can't describe the experience in words. A must-do.

In my next trip to Tanzania, I hope to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is located on the Southern Coast of Italy - a gorgeous place to enjoy the wonders of Italian culture, cuisine, and the sea. Thirteen municipalities are located on the coast. This one, Positano, is my personal favorite. 

To get around these cities, there are a few options. 

1. There is a bus that takes you along the coast. It takes a very long time to get from city to city, and the roads are quite windy, but it is a reliable way to get from one city to the next. Be aware of the timing of the last shuttle. My friends and I got stuck in Positano, because the bus had stopped running and we didn't pre-plan accordingly to get back to our Bed and Breakfast in Maiori.

2. There is a Ferry that stops at a few of the major tourist attractions. It is more expensive than the bus route; but it is a very beautiful experience sailing out on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

3. There are trains that come in and out as well. Research the different times and routes. 

Sunflowers - my favorite flower. 

For me, the sunflower is a symbol of solidarity, beauty, uniqueness, and light.

They are grounded. Their long, thick stem grows tall, holding the weight of thick, big leaves and a blossoming flower. Though it's simply one stem, the strength of its roots are able to hold all the weight with ease and grace.

They are radiant. The bright yellow petals portray vibrancy - bold, and bright expression of character. 

They are bold. The center being dark is unlike most other flowers - it's different. Growing up, I've always felt a bit different and unique in the way I operate. I have learned, though, that different isn't bad. Being unique is beautiful - just as the sunflower. Plus, that center has millions of little freckles, just like me.

They seek light. Sunflowers are powerful, in the sense that they're always looking for the light - the sunlight.

To me, the sunflower is a symbol for ideals in which I wish to live my life: grounded, radiant, bold, and seeking light. 

LOVE. That's what this world was made for. 

Some take the clear paved roads, some go the road less traveled; I choose this way. I don't know where the hell it leads, but I'll make a huge splash when I dive in.

Me and all my children...

Just kidding ;)

Israel