Ben McMullen: I want to go on the Montana Immersion trip because I want to develop my social skills. About 6 years ago I developed a speech block, making simple conversations extremely difficult impacting my social life in high school. The trip is going to challenge me to work around my impediment through uncomfortable situations and conversations that are bound to happen. By the end of the trip, I want to have found new confidence in public speaking and social interactions that I can take to every corner of my life. Additionally, I am someone who loves history, so I am excited to go learn about the heritage and life of the Blackfeet people. This one of a kind experience is one that I am sure will stay with me forever. I am most nervous about introducing myself to the students and teachers in the first few days, as well as learning their routine. To have a successful week, I want to have grown as an individual who is less afraid to start a conversation with others. 

Noah Stein: In short, I am going on the strip to make a difference in someone else’s life and a difference in mine. I’m a very privileged kid in need of humility, and I also believe that this trip will do a lot of good- not just for me but for everyone I will talk to about it and everyone I encounter in Montana. I want to show that good can be done in this world, and I want to be a part of that good. I hope to bring back an experience that I can use to better my life back home and also make a real, true connection with the people I meet and the people I'm with. I hope to learn about myself, my habits, good and bad, and how I can simplify and exemplify Jesus in my life. I also hope to learn about the people I will interact with and read more than just the surface-level story of their lives. I am really excited to go make a difference and serve people who need help. I am ready to be a first-hand witness to the suffering of all those I meet, and to suffer with them, to help make their lives a little easier, and to unfold other people's perspectives and my own. I am excited for the opportunity to possibly change someone's life, and watch, as well as experience, someone else's life changes mine. I am nervous that the group will not fully embrace and experience the trip to the fullest. I say this not excluding myself, because as teenagers we always like to stay inside of our comfort zones and seldom change them. I am nervous that this thinking, which is consistent with many teenage boys, will stay prevalent throughout the trip. I really do not want a group member to not receive the full experience, not just because of the resources invested in the trip, but also in their heart not being able to change in the way God intends it to. I am not worried about others doing it wrong, I am more worried that we as a group will hold ourselves back from doing it right. This week will be successful for me simply if I invest in myself and give 100% to the mission. The week will also be successful if I one day can look back on this experience and know that I did the right thing, and I do not regret a single moment of the trip.  I want to truly live on this immersion trip- I do not want to hold back, nor give myself regrets to hold on to in the future. I want to do as much as I possibly can and know that I did a good job. That would make the week successful. 

Nate: I am going on the Montana Immersion Trip because I want to grow in some aspects of my life, especially my faith and my commitment to serving others. I want to build these aspects of my life because I believe it will help build my character and strengthen my values. I hope to gain a sense of accomplishment from this retreat by knowing that I gave my very best and that my efforts had an impact. I want to do my very best while staying true to myself and to see that who I truly am can make a difference. Not only that, but I want to experience the impact others can have on me, especially from those who live in vastly different worlds than I do. I am most excited about tutoring and exploring new environments on this trip. I have an extreme passion for teaching, and especially learning how others are taught best. I also am very excited to see wildlife and nature that I cannot experience usually. I am most nervous about facing the unexpected. I have never been out west and so I do not know what to expect. Although I am excited to experience new things, I am still nervous on what can come with them. A successful week for me would be one where I experience genuine joy and a strong sense of community. I am unfamiliar with some of the guys going on this trip but I am looking forward to getting to know them better.  A truly good week is one filled with laughter, happiness, and brotherhood. Beyond our group, I hope the people we interact with feel the same sense of joy. I want to be the difference and help set the standard.

Noah Myers: I am going on this trip because I want to step outside of my comfort zone and expose myself to area's I am not familiar with, both environmentally and socially. Going to Blackfeet will hopefully strengthen both my faith and leadership that I pride myself on in everything I do. The thing I am most excited about for this trip is being able to take some time to reflect on myself, both who I am and who I want to be in the future. I am nervous about being away from my family for a whole week. To make this weekend successful for me I want to make lots of memories, make new friends, and come back feeling glad I went. We are doing this to help a community of students who face many more challenges than any of us. We as students of Calvert Hall have and will continue to receive so many blessings, while the students at Blackfeet will continue to face struggles for basic needs every day. The opportunity for us to experience the challenges that Blackfeet students face will help change our perspective of how fortunate we truly are and also help us experience what it truly means to be a Lasallian student, through sharing our intellect and joy. This trip will truly summarize what it means to be a man of faith, intellect, and integrity. 

Jack: I am on this trip to grow closer to God by building my faith through action and service but also building my leadership. Throughout my life my faith has been driven by my parents, and I want to step out of my comfort zone to build my faith. I hope to strengthen my faith and leadership but also hope to help the kids of the De La Salle Blackfeet School. I am most excited to see a new environment that I am not used to and make an impact. I am most nervous about pushing past my comfort zone when put in difficult situations. While I want to build my faith and leadership, making an impact on the kids even if it is small will make the trip successful to me. 

Luke: I am on going on this trip because I have been a few immersion trips before and had a great time bonding with my peers, reflecting, and getting a once-in a lifetime experience from these trips. I’m not going to have many other chances to go to Montana either, so I am going to try to make the most out of this. Ms. Fasy keeps asking, “Blackfeet has been poor, it’s going to be poor when we are there, and it’s going to be poor when we are gone, why are you going?” I am hoping to make an impact on these children’s lives, even if we can’t change the situation currently, education is where it starts and if we can teach these kids valuable lessons and relationships, we can set them up to be successful and break the generational cycle of struggle. I want to get peace out of this trip; knowing that I can immerse myself in a little bit of what the Blackfeet kids are experiencing and empathize with them to create a relationship to help them succeed. I went on an immersion trip to Virginia over the summer, Habitat for Humanity, and had a great time bonding and spending time with others and I am excited to create similar relationships in Montana and have a good time with my peers on this trip while knowing I am making an impact on the Blackfeet kids. I am nervous about the long days and hearing about the kid’s home life. These kids were dealt a bad hand and that is why we are going to Montana, to try and help them break through the struggles. I am also nervous about the schoolwork I will have to make up. This week will be successful if I can see myself making true relationships. When I can see the kids trusting me and liking me and see if I can teach them something, then it will be successful. I am also looking forward to our nightly reflections which will also make this week successful learning more about ourselves and others

Will: I would be going on the trip to Montanna to learn about poverty but also learn more about myself though service. I also want to deepen my faith though service and works though this expense. I hope to be more aware of the rural poverty in the west but also hope to gain new skills. I also hope to gain more knowledge of the native Americans. I excited to see the state of Montanna and the landscape and glacier national park. I would also like how the Native Americans live on a reservation. I am nervous about the constant hours of work and if I will be affected after the long hours. I also am nervous about the teaching aspect and if I can do it properly. This week would be made successful for me if I helped out one person and to make a little change in someone’s life. 

Ben Kim: I'm going on this trip to hopefully get mainly two things out of it: one to strengthen my mind and learn to live under pressure. I hope to learn how not to compare myself to others in a way that is toxic for myself, but also learn to be less self-conscious about myself all around. The most exciting part about this trip is getting to spend time with the guys I know, but also learning to appreciate more than what is at my fingertips, like learning how to appreciate what my parents do for me and the relationships I have in my life. The nervous side of me is worried about not fulfilling what I want to accomplish and coming back the same person I was. What will make this week successful is that I meet my goals and grow closer to God, but also learn about myself on a deeper level without help from others like my family, girlfriend, or friends. 

Hanover: I am going on this trip to Montana for a multitude of reasons. First, I want to be more open minded in life, and I believe doing something I wouldn’t normally do will help me with that. Second, I want to explore what a culture other than my own is like. And lastly, I want to work on my leadership ahead of my senior lacrosse season. I hope to walk away from this trip knowing that I did what I could to make the kids week special, and I gave it 100% in everything I did. I want to walk away from the trip a better man than when I got there. I am most excited about the travel and being a part of a culture other than my own. I’m nervous about missing school and all the work I will have to make up. What will make my week successful is knowing that I did what was asked of me to the best of my ability and I got out of it what I put in. 

Evan: I’m on this trip because I want to grow closer with my chc community and learn more about myself. I want to grow deeper in my faith, get some new perspectives, and just help people. If I could get only one thing out of my time on this trip, it would be to truly help and make at least one kid better, happy, or comforted. It isn’t so that I can be seen as good and do good work, it’s because I genuinely love helping people, especially if it is younger people. I’m definitely very excited for this trip and all the new opportunities it’ll give me with God, friends, and inner growth. I’m mostly excited for the journey of it all. Whether that is rocky, smooth, or near impossible, I’m all for it. Now on the contrary I think I’m the most nervous about catching up with grades but even then, I’m confident I’ll be good at that, and I try to stay optimistic about situations. If you can turn a bad moment into a positive, then nothing can stop you (And we have God). I will find this week to be a success if I end the week knowing I did the best I could at everything, even the smallest things like washing the dishes. Finally, our purpose for this trip is for the kids and the community. Yes, they won’t change, but nothing good comes easy or quickly. It always takes time and effort so if this group gives it our best effort and prioritizes the right things, then we do our portion of love for these kids and people. When we ask God for strength, he doesn't magically give us strength he’ll give us opportunities to be strong. Thank you, Ms. Fasy and Mr. McCormick, for picking me to go on this trip and being amazing teachers and mentors for me and the rest of the group. I can’t wait to go on this trip with you and the rest, and may God Bless you and us all!