LEADERSHIP ACADEMY UP BRADBURY MOUNTAIN: IN THE WORDS OF GABRIELA LENERTA

“On 14th of July BAFF Leadership Academy students including me went on a hike to a hill. We arrived there in the morning. Everyone was thrilled about this day because of the mountain hike and the following free time that we were supposed to have after the hike in the Free Port city.

It was a very hot day with a lot of mosquitoes but it did not stop us from fully enjoying the hike. The plan was to climb up to the top of the hill, have lunch while enjoying the beautiful scenery and then climb back down. The way up was quite shallow and it took us approximately 30 minutes. Everyone was chatting and telling stories during the whole way up and some strong girls even managed to climb trees during a stop. The view from the top of the hill was truly spectacular. It was a great place to have a veggie wrap and take some unforgettable pictures together with my fellow Leadership Academy participants. When we were about to begin our way down the hill our program leaders suggested that we sit down and think about the best memories that we have about the time we had already spent in America during the Leadership Academy. Each one of us thought about the goals we want to achieve in 10 years and what do we want to accomplish during this program. It was a very peaceful and uniting moment for all of us.

Then was the time for the way down. I was very surprised that the way down took us only around 6 minutes. The down walk was a lot steeper and it had high cliffs and a beautiful view through the wood. As we got down unexpectedly quick we had a bit of free time to spend in children’s playground. When the bus arrived we were ready for our next stop, Freeport. We had approximately 3 hours to walk around the shopping area to visit some outlet stores and food places. I and my friend decided to rather explore the local area and food. In the end, we bought a delicious high-quality dark chocolate bar with almonds and sea salt and went to a hammock and enjoyed the moment as well as the chocolate bar. Then was the time to get back on the bus and drive to our beautiful campus.

It was a nice day to relax and not think about classes but still keeping in mind to explore the local businesses and marketing strategies used around the area. In the evening we had time for our selves. Some of my fellow participants went swimming in the ocean, others were watching a movie, reading, doing sports or just chatting with others. As we had a business pitch for the Sea Dogs baseball marketing team in a few days, some people organized group meetings and discussed the pitch presentation strategies.

It was an extraordinary day.”

Written by Gabriela Lenerta