Jasper Mizani — He/Him
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Though urbexers and graffiti artists have helped Jasper Mizani come to appreciate what Portland has to offer, to him, the city’s environment is simultaneously comforting and confining. “It can feel like a bubble sometimes,” he says.
Between the ages of 16 and 21, Portland youth seeking evening activities must parse through a limited and often expensive catalogue. What’s more, attending Grant High School, Mizani feels surrounded by a homogenous student body. Continuing his education at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, Mizani says he’s “really looking forward to finally being in a new environment where everything doesn’t feel the same … The nicest thing, I think, about UBC is that it is one of the most diverse and international schools in the world.”
As a Canadian citizen, college in Canada had long been a prospect for Mizani. However, he was first drawn to UBC by the Future Global Leaders for British Columbia pre-college event held at the university. The two-week program acted as a trial, giving him a slice of life at the school. “You were essentially like a semi-independent student, living on the campus, going and doing whatever you wanted to do,” Mizani says. He took a relationship psychology course in the morning and would spend the rest of his day interacting with other attendees from across the world. “That sort of made me fall in love with the school,” Mizani says. “Since then, it’s just sort of been a dream goal.”
Mizani will be pursuing a degree in psychology — an academic path he settled on after taking a course offered at Grant. “In middle school, I tended to be a (person) that my friends could confide in and I think I took pride in being able to do that,” Mizani says. “Being able to … know how to correctly help other people out or just really know what other people are thinking and how you can address that has always been an interest … The psychology class at Grant was the thing that told me, ‘Yeah, you can actually do this.’”
While it was his Canadian citizenship that initially directed him abroad for post-high school study, Mizani recommends any student, regardless of citizenship status, to seriously consider it: “If you have citizenship, please take advantage of that. It’s a huge, huge opportunity. It’d be a waste not to do it … Even if you don’t (have citizenship), it’s so much more simple. My application for the University of Toronto, which is, I think, the best college in Canada, only included my grades. There was no written application. There (were) no supplemental things.”
Additionally, Mizani encourages anyone planning to attend to college to begin considering where they’d like to go during their junior year with a particular focus on the environment of potential school because once senior year begins, the first semester is a rush.
“(When) you start to be a senior, you have to do all the application things. But once you get past that, it’s mostly smooth sailing,” Mizani says. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel already. You have a lot to look forward to.”
Sasha Gladen – He/Him
University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
As a senior, Sasha Gladen finds it hard to depart Grant due to his involvement with both the robotics team and the Japanese Magnet Program (JMP). Having been part of the robotics team since freshman year, Gladen says, “I’ve grown to have a great friendship with Mr. Fenger, and he can definitely attest to that.” During the 13 years he has been in the JMP, Gladen has also built strong friendships within the program’s tight-knit community. Gladen’s exit is bittersweet as he will be attending college abroad at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, leaving both communities behind.
At the University of Victoria, Gladen will continue exploring his interests by studying mechanical engineering. He plans to take on an additional year to avoid the taxing workload that comes with a typical four-year university program in Canada. “I need to extend it to five years just to get through,” he says.
For Gladen, University of Victoria has all the things he loves about Portland while still offering new opportunities. “I chose this university for multiple reasons — mainly because it’s very similar to the kind of climate that’s here in Portland,” he says. “I wouldn’t be too far from my family.”
Gladen also hopes to gain a different educational experience than those available at American post-secondary schools. “I feel like American schools aren’t very well-geared towards what I want
to do,” says Gladen.
Looking toward the future, Gladen remains unsure of whether he will return to Portland after college. “I’m going to see if I can get an extended visa in Canada if I really enjoy living there — which I think I will,” he says. “I probably won’t come back to the U.S., honestly.” Gladen’s excitement for remaining in Canada is largely driven by the new opportunities he hopes to find while living beyond the U.S.’ borders.
For others considering studying abroad, Gladen offers some advice: He says that students applying to schools outside the country should be prepared for a pricey and complicated application process. He says, “Make sure it’s the right thing for you because applying internationally can be really expensive.”
Max Wallen — Any Pronouns
Gap Year in Tokyo, Japan
Max Wallen knows exactly what she wants to study after high school: social work, sociology and political science. But rather than jumping straight into college, she’s taking a gap year in Tokyo, Japan, to fine tune the new direction of her life independently.
“(In) college, I’m still … on someone else’s schedule,” Wallen says. “There’s a lot more independence, but it’s still within a contained context. So I’m just having a year to do my thing and try out new things.” Wallen hopes that being forced to rely on herself and live by her own rules during her gap year will provide new perspective.
Born in Japan, Wallen came to Portland just before the COVID-19 lockdown when she was 12 — a shift she describes as “kind of rough.” In the few years she’s lived in Portland, however, she has gained a new sense of being. “(In Japan), everyone’s pretty much held to the same expectation. There’s a very universal rule for everyone there,” Wallen says. “When I moved to Portland, I really noticed there’s a lot more individuality and you get to branch out more.” Yet, she says, “I also think … because people are so different, it can sometimes be harder to see eye to eye … People don’t try to understand other perspectives as much. It’s very much like, ‘be woke, be a certain way,’ even though it’s in a diverse way.”
Exposure to different cultures has given Wallen a unique idea of what identity means. She is interested to see how this will play out as she returns to Japan older and with a fresh set of eyes.
Though her immediate family will remain in Portland, she is arriving with an established safety net — Wallen and her friend, Grant senior Lili Baechel, will rent an apartment from Wallen’s grandparents together.
Wallen offers advice for other young adults looking to take on more independence after high school: “Definitely plan it out, but also just — this is kind of contradictory — also go with your instincts.”
As Wallen sees it, there is another benefit in taking a road less travelled by after graduation. “Going straight from high school to college, you can kind of just get into a routine and you don’t have the time to figure out you for yourself,” Wallen says. “Make yourself that space, and take up space and make that time for yourself if you feel like you need it. Because if you feel like you need it, you
probably need it.”
While students shouldn’t go into a gap year blindly, Wallen believes that whatever plan they make should be flexible to inherent spontaneity. “Take any opportunity,” she says. “Put yourself in uncomfortable situations.”
Lola Zadoff — She/Her
University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom
Lola Zadoff has lived in Portland for her whole life. Yet, she has always planned to journey further: “I, first of all, had a feeling that I wanted to go international since the beginning of the whole college process.” After considering various European countries and colleges, she decided to pursue a three-year degree in psychology at the University of Brighton (UB) in Brighton, U.K., a coastal town two hours south of London.
The opportunity to meet new people, easily travel between countries and pay a more affordable tuition drove her toward Europe; UB’s independent dorming, personal tutors and abundance of student support and mental health resources helped refine her decision.
While Zadoff says she has “no idea what to expect,” she can foresee significant changes in her day-to-day life and many new opportunities. For one, the U.S. and the U.K. have very different interpretations of work-life balance. “I do think that American culture … pushes this idea that the main goal of life is to work and make money,” Zadoff says. “I think getting out of that perspective and kind of focusing more on what to do or what makes life feel fulfilling and whatnot is going to be really healthy … I’m excited to leave behind some negative narratives that I think American culture can bring.”
Making this shift a reality may seem a daunting task, but it can be made easier by planning early with the support of college counselors who specialize in international admissions. “It’s nothing to fear,” Zadoff says. “It’s just a matter of getting guidance on something that you might not have any idea how to navigate. And then once you sort of narrow it down … it’s basically just a matter of putting together your (applications).”
Figuring out what to do after graduation, whether that is inside or beyond the U.S.’ borders, is a pivotal decision. “At the end of the day, people are going to be doing different things than you no matter what. And that was really stressful, hearing about other kids’ plans who were taking a completely different direction than me … I felt like I was on the wrong track,” Zadoff says. “But just focus on what you want to do because ultimately everyone’s going to find the college that works for their personal life. And this so happened to be the one that works perfectly for me.”