Two Tickets to Anywhere: Two Girls' Journey Abroad

Madison Jennings
Sep 6
2 min read

AP Stewart and Bailey Henrickle were two students that spontaneously tripped to Cape Town, South Africa as part of DIRECT Cape Town. These newfound friends were made possible through memories created throughout the program.

AP is a junior at Auburn University while Bailey recently graduated from Louisiana State University. Different majors, different ages, but one shared experience transformed their lives. From sitting beside each other on the bus the first day to two weeks traipsing around another country to taking beach trips together over the summer, every moment was full of excitement.

This trip was full of leadership, positivity, and development. Bailey went through the trip trying to exemplify leadership every step of her way by being very open to everyone she encountered. AP's leadership style was all about inclusion. She made an effort to meet someone new everyday and invite everyone to dinner.

The girls went through each adventure with their heads held high. During the sailing excursion, Bailey made a concious choice to be confident instead of afraid. Bailey's attitude shifted AP's experience and helped her overcome her fear about sailing. Keeping a positive attitude helped them engage with the culture differently. They approached everything with a spirit of openness — even when they tried ostrich one night!

After the trip, Bailey looks at everyting with a new perspective as she felt so inspired through the entirety of the trip. AP was most effected by the service lessons and service days. As soon as they entered, they felt hands wrapped around them and got to play with the children. These service days taught them the lesson that presence is so powerful and happiness is free.