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Katarina Guillot

Born in Antigua, Guatemala, Katarina has always been passionate about dancing, sports, and environmental conservation. During high school, she was strongly involved in student leadership and was elected class president 3 years in a row. She was also involved in many varsity sports such as dance, softball, cross country, basketball, and soccer. Her favorite club was the environmental activist club and she hopes to go into environmental science in college. Her goal for the year is to dive in head first into every opportunity or challenge thrown her way. She is inspired by art and she hopes that that inspiration is further nurtured during her time in Ecuador.

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Ambivalent

Katarina Guillot

2019-03-20

Ambivalent is the perfect word, to sum up, my feelings about only having two more weeks in Ecuador. According to Merriam-Webster ambivalent means “having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something” and ambivalence suggests “movement in two directions at once and hence a wavering uncertainty.” When people ask me how I feel about going back...

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Here Comes the Bride

Katarina Guillot

2019-02-22

My host parents are young and during my GCY year, they decided to have a church wedding which is how I became a bridesmaid along with FOUR other GCY Fellows in my host mother’s wedding. My host parents, Eli and Sairy seem to be on a perpetual honeymoon stage, especially as this wedding day approached....

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Dancing in the Clouds

Katarina Guillot

2019-01-09

Ever Since I was a little girl, dance has consistently been a part of my life. Throughout the process of applying to GCY, I knew that choosing a country that would allow me to learn a lot about different styles of dances would be the main factor in my decision. After lots of investigating, Ecuador...

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In the "Honey Moon" Stage

Katarina Guillot

2018-10-02

I am in love with the way the sun peeks out behind a tall daisy covered green mountain behind my house at 5:47 am every morning.  I am in love with the sound of the dog’s paws running on the roof above my bedroom around 6 am as if they were about to begin a...

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Letting go of certainty

Katarina Guillot

2018-08-18

I have always been known to do the unexpected. All my life I have never wanted to be like anybody else, sound like anybody else or copy anybody else. My family always commented on my bold decisions in everything I did calling me a “leader“, not a follower. As high school was ending and I was destined to go to college something just didn’t add up in my head. I wasn’t enthusiastic. I was not excited to head off to college and continue my life. I wanted a pause. A time to reflect on my life, and where I want to take it. Suddenly, a few weeks before graduation, an opportunity fell perfectly into my lap in an email from my guidance counselor. A video labeled “Why take a gap year?” was attached with an application to Global Citizen Year. As I...

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