Two Local Seniors Prepare for Once-In-A-Lifetime Chance

While some graduating high school seniors might see their summers as a chance to have one last relaxing hurrah before jetting off to college, two local teenagers have a different, more educational plan for the months preceding their freshman orientation.

Corina Chao, of Hampton, and Fallon Cronin, of North Hampton, have been selected to serve as U.S. student ambassadors during a 19-day journey through Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France.

The trip is much more than a sightseeing or backpacking adventure, as the purpose is expose talented young leaders to new cultures and learning opportunities through the People to People program.

Chao and Cronin were the only Winnacunnet High School students selected by People to People for inclusion in the trip, which begins on July 6, 2014. Their selection came after the girls were nominated by two of their teachers and after the students went through an interview process with People to People representatives.

Both Chao and Cronin said the experience would be different from anything they've experienced, and each look forward to applying the lessons learned to their prospective careers, as well as bringing those lessons back to their hometowns.

"I think it’s important because we’re two young people in the community, and the program is to help us enhance our leadership skills and communication," said Chao, who plans to major in international relations at a university in Washington, D.C., next fall as she works toward a career in the United Nations. "That’s something we both hope to bring back to Hampton and North Hampton. I think that leadership in young people is really important."
 
Cronin agreed.

"This program is going to be great for us," said Cronin, who has never been outside the United States and plans to go into event planning after majoring in marketing or a related field at a yet-to-be-determined college next fall. "It's something we can bring back and teach the whole community. It's not a touristy trip."  

Inclusion in the trip isn't a guarantee, though, as Chao and Cronin each have to raise thousands to cover the cost of the program. The duo are holding a variety of fundraising events, including one on Friday at WHS featuring comedic hypnotist Steve Wronker.

The all-ages show costs $10 and starts at 7 p.m. Friday. All proceeds will go toward funding the students' trip, which total roughly $7,000 and features stops at an Austrian concentration camp, talking with a Holocaust survivor, and much more.

Chao and Cronin both say they are "really determined" to raise the funds on their own, and they thought Wronker's show would be a different way to do so because it involves the entire community in a way that extends beyond bake, calendar, and yard sales.

The pair will also raffle off Boston Bruins tickets, and a Community Mondays event is planned for them at The Community Oven on Feb. 17.

Chao's mother, Ann Marie, said she hopes the community "can see the value of this experience" because she said the students are really dedicated toward serving in a way that betters themselves and the world.

"From my perspective, this program is what Corina is all about," said Ann Marie Chao. "She is globally aware of events, is politically minded and her 'world' is truly the whole world, not just Hampton or New Hampshire... This experience is important for her as a student, as well as a globally minded person."

More information about the trip can be found on People to People's website, or by contacting the students directly at their joint e-mail for the trip,  p2ptrip@yahoo.com.
 
Tickets for Friday's show can be purchased at the door, or can be purchased ahead of time by contacting p2ptrip@yahoo.com.