<p>"Webbie: What your D & other teens accomplished could be done locally, as well. In fact it IS being done for local charities by teens all the time.
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<p>Occasionally, I have encountered students like Webbie’s D – who longed to do service abroad, and who researched and found an opportunity, and then worked hard to earn the money to go abroad and do service.</p>
<p>I’ve never met such a student who wasn’t also involved in doing service locally.</p>
<p>I also think that for such a student, the abroad experience can give them a headstart in the preparation that they need for their careers, which tend to be in things that would allow them to do service abroad.</p>
<p>For instance, one student who I know did abroad service as a high school student and college student, now is in medical school after doing a year of malarial research as a Fulbright fellow in Africa. Even as a high school student, she planned to become a doctor addressing public health issues in Africa. Her experience in Guatemala as a h.s. student helped her become aware of what kind of skills (including cultural and linguistic) that she needed to develop to be effective at her chosen career.</p>
<p>There probably are some students who earn money to do service abroad who learn that kind of work is not for them. I’d bet that many students either as adults provide financial support to agencies that do work abroad or turn their talents toward making service contributions that best fit their personalities and skills.</p>