In the meantime, check out some recaps and memories from our scholars’ most recent Alaskan Expedition:
What Alaska taught STEP Scholars
You learn a lot about yourself when the comfortable option isn’t an option.
This summer, STEP Scholars traveled thousands of miles from Arizona to spend weeks in the Alaskan wilderness. They came home with some incredible stories: twenty miles in a kayak. Eight people squeezed into one tent. A face washed with glacier water. A giant wilderness feast.
And most importantly: a different sense of what they’re capable of—and the confidence to navigate the unfamiliar territory ahead as first-generation college students. Here are the stories that came home with them:
Mayrinne T. | Maryvale High School
For Mayrinne, one of the most memorable days involved kayaking to see glaciers, then hiking across slippery, rocky terrain to get closer. She remembers washing her face with clear glacier water and standing near something that felt “sacred and breathtaking.”
But one of her biggest discoveries was about herself as a leader.
“I learned that I don't need to adjust to others when I am leading. I am capable of finding my own style of leading even when others do it differently.”
It’s a lesson she plans to carry into future classrooms, workplaces, and leadership opportunities.
Brian G. | Tolleson Union High School
After a grueling 20-mile day of kayaking, Brian and his group still had one more task: find water.
Exhausted, they pushed forward together. Brian remembers the relief of finally finding it and how much the group bonded through the struggle.
“The biggest lesson I learned was that you control your situation and your attitude towards it.”
Brian returned home procrastinating less, overthinking less, and focusing more on what he can control. “I feel that I can go anywhere I want in the world,” he shared.
Wendy S. | University High School Tolleson
Some of Wendy’s favorite memories weren't the biggest adventures. They were the evenings spent cooking and talking together.
One night, each cook group contributed something—brownies, cheesy bread, rice and beans—to a giant group feast. For Wendy, those meals became a lesson in community.
“The biggest lesson I learned was that it's ok to be unsure or to ask for help.”
She began thinking of the expedition as a “mini college”, an opportunity to practice being surrounded by new people in an unfamiliar place. Now, she says, she knows she can not only overcome that challenge, but thrive in it.
Luis C. | Metro Tech High School
Luis may have summed up Alaska most memorably.
His favorite memory? Fitting eight people into a single tent on the final night.
His biggest lesson?
“You can either be sad in the rain or learn to dance in it.”
Luis plans to carry that outlook home with him—not just for himself, but for the people around him. “I will try to be a motivation for others and be a sort of light in the darkness because that's who I want to be.”
These are the lessons that can’t always be taught in a classroom.
Through challenge, adventure, friendship, and a whole lot of kayaking, STEP Scholars returned from Alaska knowing a little more about who they are AND what they’re capable of.
Your support makes experiences like these possible. Thank you for giving STEP Scholars opportunities to explore the world, challenge themselves, and bring what they learn back home.