Author | Lydia Rice |
Okay, let’s be honest. By this point, everyone is so busy thinking wistfully about summer break that you’ve probably forgotten about Spring Break.
Well, it’s time to throw back a little bit because the people of Scholars Guild had some pretty amazing experiences. I only got to interview four of them, so let’s meet our cast of people I randomly tracked down and interrogated.
Pictured above: Jillian Britt and Rachel Garcia
Rachel Garcia
I knew that I had to interview Rachel as soon as I saw her Instagram story with Jillian Britt hurling down a mountain in a go-kart. Rachel Garcia and Jillian Britt are not only the sweetest people at Scholars Guild, but also best friends. Over Spring Break, they went to the North Carolina mountains.
Which mountain you may be wondering?
Oh, just the one Rachel’s step-dad’s third cousin owns.
I discovered this crazy fact, when I asked Rachel to elaborate a bit on Jillian’s crazy brave go-kart riding adventure and she answered it like this:
“So, my step-dad’s third cousin owns a mountain…it was like passed down from a bunch of generations and stuff and he raised his kids there and they’re homeschooled and it’s really beautiful…”
I nod, happily picturing the beautiful mountainside.
“... and the little boy is like 13 and he has this, like um, go kart...and they asked if she [Jillian] wanted to ride and she was like “yeah, I’ll ride it! Let’s go” and she was all brave and stuff so she went and she rode it a couple of times down the mountain.”
Well, then...a new goal has just been added to my bucket list!
Pictured above: The famous Instagram story, featuring Jillian Britt riding down the mountain
Wondering what other crazy things they did, I asked Rachel what her favorite memory was. I was presented with an inspiring memory that summed up the core of Rachel and Jillian’s friendship---their fellowship.
“One night we were sitting on the couch pretty late and we were just sharing really cool God stories and we were talking and we were both crying and it was really cool, either that or just, like, laughing the whole time.”
When asked if there were any mishaps, Rachel paused to think for a moment, smiled and said, “Everything was great!”
To close, I asked what she’d rank this Spring Break compared to all the others in the past on a scale of 1 to 10.
“An 11. There was no school we had to do and there was nothing to worry about.”
Marren Powelson
Meanwhile, Marren Powelson had an amazing Spring Break in Florida. This wasn’t your typical Florida beach vacation. No, Marren was on a mission.
Well, more specifically a missions trip.
“So we went to Florida and my church was going and my Dad was co-leading it, so that was kind of what got me involved. My brother Ridge and my Dad went last year and they really had a great time so that’s kinda why I went. My Mom went, so our whole family went this time. What did we do there? We partnered with the church. We had evangelism training in the morning and in the afternoons we walked around to houses, knocked on doors, and basically presented the gospel. We evangelized and shared our testimonies with whoever answered the door.”
Did Marren have a favorite memory?
“Well, I had this one conversation with this one guy that really stood out in particular. So, we were in this very poor area of Florida and he had two Buddhism statues in his front yard, an angel statue, a statue of Paul, and a statue of a demon - or gothic demon or something. So, the conversation with him was very interesting just to see/hear where he was coming from and the way that he thought of life.
...We went through a survey that was kind of how we got into the conversation instead of just saying, “Hey my name is Marren. Can I tell you about the gospel?” That can be super awkward. The survey is called the Great Exchange, and is a really helpful way to ask general questions like, “Do you believe in God?” “If so, what is he like?” ---questions like that. His answers to those questions were very interesting.”
You could tell from listening to Marren that she was super engaged with both evangelism and this particular missions trip, so I asked, “What was a time that you laughed?”
“I gotta think, we laughed a lot on this trip. Well, we had a lot of jokes throughout the thing, but my friend gave everyone a lot of nicknames, so just her coming up with the nicknames - I laughed a lot.”
She stopped there, but I was curious, “Wait, so what was your nickname?”
“...Well her other friend, she called me ‘Upcase.’ It’s a weird story how we got there, but yes.”
Weird stories are what all journalists live for, so, of course, I urged her to tell me.
“I was like one of the only ones who didn’t have a nickname so she was trying to come up with one for me and she was going to do McDonald's because of the big ‘M’ but I was like ‘I don’t like that’ so she was like ‘how about Uppercase M?’ so we abbreviated it to ‘Upcase.’”
Still searching for more anecdotes, I asked, “Any mishaps or did everything go to plan?”
Marren grinned wryly and began, “Well, it’s a missions trip…”
I suddenly had flashbacks to my own missions trip experiences and chimed in with her, “...so nothing goes to plan.”
We laughed and she continued, “We got there, there were only two showers and it was all cold water, which actually worked out well cause it was super hot in Florida.”
Wrapping up, I wanted to hear her insights on packing tips. “What are the top three things you have to pack on a missions trip?”
“Sunscreen, your Bible, and a Journal”
And, of course, rate your Spring Break on a scale of 1 to 10.
“10, I think it’s my best spring break, for sure. It was very impactful.”
Seth Newman
Some people go to the Mountains, some go on missions trips, and some go hiking. The latter was the highlight of Seth Newman’s Spring Break and I wondered what that was like.
“So we went to Tallulah Gorge, which is up in like North Georgia and we hiked down - not quite to the bottom of the gorge, but there’s like a suspension bridge near the bottom and we saw that and then we hiked back up to the other side of the gorge.”
Can you keep a secret? I would rather get pushed off into the gorge then do that much hiking, but I have major respect for Seth for doing that much climbing and loving every minute. In fact, when I asked him what his favorite memory was, he replied:
“Probably looking back to the other side of the gorge and seeing how far we walked. Because we went down, back up the other side, and then we went downriver the other side and back the other way and came around on a bridge across the river and back to where we had started and i could see everywhere we walked. It was really cool.”
And what three things should I bring if I were to change personalities and go for a hike?
“Water, snacks I should hope, a camera if you’re into photography.”
Seth’s ranking of his Spring Break? 7.63
Sydney Blackburn
To be totally honest, I’d been hyped for Sydney’s interview. She always has the best anecdotes about her family vacations and I was not disappointed. I asked her for a time she laughed out loud.
“We went to Knoxville with my grandma and Sabrina, my 8-year-old sister, and we were in the car and we were on the University of Tennessee campus and she was in the back seat and she goes ‘LOOK, IT’S A GEORGIA [As in UGA Bulldogs] G!’ and I was like ‘Noooo, we’re in Knoxville, this is like enemy territory.’ We look over and it says ‘Parking Floor G.’”
At this point, Sydney’s awesome friend Reagan pipes in with, “But, the G doesn’t even look the same?”
“Where did I go wrong with her?” Sydney’s shaking her head and laughing incredulously.
I suggest, “Well, maybe it’s her loyalty - it’s so strong, she sees any G, just a G, and shes just like ‘That’s our team!’” and Sydney and Reagan start nodding proudly, UGA fans all the way.
And, of course, I have to know, “Any mishaps?”
It’s Reagan who answers, “Well, my sister came on the trip.” which launches Sydney into a story.
“Her little sister is really good friends with my little sister and her little sister starts beating up my little sister...not really fighting, just like teasing, but I was there supporting Avery [Reagan’s sister] a hundred percent.”
Ah, the strong bonds of sisterly love.
And speaking of family relationships, what did Sydney think the top three things were needed for a family roadtrip?
“My pillow, my blanket, my phone charger.”
Sydney’s Spring Break ranking: 7 ½
I asked Sydney one final question, “what would clickbait title would you give your Spring Break?”
“Something Gone Wrong, cause with my family trips, something always goes wrong.”
Both relatable and inspiring, I decided to give my article a clickbait title as well. I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic trip covering the long-forgotten Spring Break and everyone gets even more hyped for their summer plans!