When I was 13, my family and I went on vacation to Hawaii. After the trip I returned to real life and my reality in Upstate New York, painfully depressed that I could not stay in Hawaii forever and live on the beach and snorkel everyday. I told myself “I will live in Hawaii one day” . One of the many ways living in Yosemite changed my life, is it allowed me to be in community of people that also did not believe that everyone needs to live a singular and linear path. I learned that there are many different ways to live life. I met a girl named Julia who introduced me to “Work Trades” or “Farm Stays”. She told me she volunteered on a fruit farm in Hawaii and lived in a tent in the jungle. From there, the seed was planted and I was going to do whatever possible to do the same. And I did.