Montmartre -
Anyone who feels that teens today lack drive and passion hasn't met Jenna Gall. The grade 12 student from Montmartre recently travelled to the Arctic and Antarctica with Students on Ice, a program that takes young people to the ends of the earth to help them gain a better understanding and appreciation of the world.
Gall first heard about the Students on Ice program when she stumbled upon their website, and was instantly attracted to the idea.
"I was just blown away by the opportunity. I had never heard of anything like it before," Gall said.
She has always been interested in science, and was thrilled at the thought of travelling alongside up to 50 scientists and 65 other like-minded youths from all around the globe.
"Plus the fact that I love the outdoors, and I love nature, and I love adventure and I love travelling - so that added to it too."
After a lengthy application process, she was accepted to the program, but there was still the matter of raising funds for the trip, which amounted to around $8,500.
Gall managed to raise the funds herself, by writing corporate sponsorship letters to local, provincial and national businesses.
She also put on numerous local fundraisers, including a polar dip, in which people paid money to nominate someone to jump into a pool of ice-cold water. It took about a year-and-a-half to raise the money she needed.
"It was a lot of work, but it was so, so worth it in the end. It opened an incredible amount of opportunities for me," Gall said.
The Arctic expedition went from July 29 - August 14, and included Baffin Island and Northern Quebec. She had previous knowledge of the location, but still learned a number of things that surprised her.
"I think the most stunning thing I learned was about the culture, and how climate change and the environmental issues are really affecting the people of the north and their culture," she said.
Gall made such an impression on her Arctic expedition that she received the honor of being the only 'student on ice' to be asked to return, this time for a voyage to Antarctica from December 25 to January 13. She feels honored to have been able to take part in such a rare adventure.
"There is a very, very small fraction of people on the planet who ever get to see Antarctica," she said, adding that nothing could have prepared her for the reality of actually being there.
"It's so vast and so diverse. I guess you don't even really imagine it, and it's a continent that's kind of separated out of your mind - so it was incredible to see."
Between the two expeditions, Gall has met students from Australia, Monico, England, Taiwan and Japan, the United States, Portugal, Chili, Singapore and Columbia. With so many people sharing the same vessel, and sharing such similar interests, she says they quickly grew into one big family.
"By the end of it you were crying, because you had to leave people. You become very close. You meet friends from all over the world - people you can contact and stay in touch with and discuss your ideas and your initiatives with."
Each day featured a shore landing, and two lectures conducted by the scientists, but that is where the routine ended - everything else on the trips was pretty much up in the air.
"If one day we ran into thick ice conditions, we detoured and stopped at another place. If one day we ran into whales, we would just anchor there and stop at an island and check out the whales," Gall explained.
"The expedition leader's favorite thing to say is 'Flexibility is the Key,' because it really is when you're on an expedition. You have no idea where you're going next, which is kind of the fun of it."
On both the Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, Gall had the rare opportunity to observe whales in their natural habitat.
"I don't think it would matter how many times I see a whale - when they come out of the water it takes your breath away - it's absolutely incredible. They're just a massive animal, and I think it puts it into perspective how (small) humans really are, and how insignificant we really are."
Polar bears, seals, walruses and countless penguins were also among the vast array of wildlife spotted on the trips.
On top of the wonderful time that Gall had on the two voyages, Students on Ice has also widened her horizons more than she could have imagined.
Not only have they offered her a job recruiting scientists for the program, she also feels the experience will help immensely in her search for the ideal university.
"The reference letters I get from the people I worked with on both expeditions is just incredible," she said excitedly.
After university, Gall hopes to make it back to Antarctica, where she would like to work for about a year. In the future, she hopes she can play a part in helping young people to understand the importance of science and the environment.
"My ultimate goal is to have enough experience in a variety of science fields to be able to be effective in speaking to youth and educating them on why it's important."
RARE OPPORTUNITY - 65 Students from all over the world, along with 35 scientists, stayed aboard this ship during their trip to Antarctica, which only a tiny fraction of people will ever get the chance to see.
HANGIN' WITH THE PENGUINS - Jenna Gall recently took part in Students on Ice, which enabled her to travel to Antarctica and to the Arctic, an experience that has opened many doors for the grade 12 Montmartre student.
LIVING HER DREAMS - Jenna Gall made such an impression on her voyage to the Arctic that the Students on Ice program invited her to return for a second trip. Here she is in Antarctica, which she was extremely honored to be able to experience first-hand.
BREATHTAKING SIGHT - This polar bear was among the wide array of wildlife spotted by the Students on Ice group on their trip to the Arctic last summer.
ARRAY OF WILDLIFE - The Students on Ice group came across a vast array of wildlife on their Arctic expedition, which ran from July 29 - August 14, 2009.
