一个人在离开父母、学校、科技、文明和双胞胎兄弟的四个月里经历了什么变化? Judging by Oscar Lu’s transformation, they run the gamut from physical, to spiritual to social. 奥斯卡和他的双胞胎兄弟维克多(Victor)一年级时从加州来到CFS(后来全家搬到了马萨诸塞州)。 Both standout students, Oscar’s quiet poise contrasts with Victor’s extroverted personality. Many did a double-take when Oscar – who spent the entire first semester at the 高山研究所 (HMI) in Colorado – returned to campus in January, right before Victor was preparing to depart for his own semester-away experience at 岛屿学校 in the Bahamas. 他看起来更老了,更强壮了,也更自信了。 Oscar says his time away helped him discover sides of himself he wasn’t aware of before.
“I learned who I am when I’m without my brother. 我可以自己交朋友。 我可以为自己辩护。 我可以拒绝一些事情。 I don’t always have to be perfect. I’m funny. I’m spontaneous. I’m a good chef.” Oscar is the third CFS student to attend HMI’s term-away program – open to high achieving high school juniors and seniors. Both of his former CFS “big brothers,” Fayi Nshanji ’24 and Rafael Arellano ’24, attended HMI during the 2022-2023 school year and raved about it to him.
Approximately 40 participants rotate between school at HMI – a full courseload of honors and AP classes – interspersed with 14-day backpacking expeditions where they completely disconnect from technology and embrace learning by doing. 奥斯卡回忆起他在睡袋上结霜时醒来,看到山羊和驼鹿,跑10英里结束他的学期,在锡安悬崖潜水,在暴风雪中徒步旅行,以及日出时登上山顶的兴奋。
奥斯卡说,为期四天的培训(不需要高级技能)包括学习如何搭建帐篷、打特定的结、在背包中分配重量、解决炉子的故障以及解决冲突的艺术,当你和来自全国各地的青少年聚在一起时,这尤其方便。 奥斯卡最令他吃惊的拿手好戏是烹饪。 “I have always been good at baking because I follow directions, and everything is so precise. But cooking isn’t like baking; I learned that a lot of it is creativity and putting ingredients together to make it work.” Since returning from HMI, Oscar says he’s been “cheffing it up,” making fancy breakfasts and pasta sauces for his family and friends.
Due to the rigorous academic schedule – classes run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and study hall ends at 9:15 at which time laptops are turned in – Oscar says his time management has also grown exponentially. This will serve him well both at CFS and this summer, when he hopes to attend a summer program at either the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, or MIT’s MITES program. Oscar will spend his second semester at CFS as the president of his class “living in the moment and using his newfound confidence to advocate for his classmates.”