Teen strives for the simple life
Meghan Legg
August 13, 2010
Filed under Features, News
Asleep between her floral green sheets, Cinthia Gonzalez dreams of the spiritual Mother Earth. Mother Earth leans down and whispers to Gonzalez, preaching minimalism and charity.
Gonzalez listens, turns in her bed and begins striving to “live a simple life, giving to the community,” having done so since her revelation.
Gonzalez is a member of the Gear-Up Club, “where students work with fellow pupils and push them to go to universities.”
Gonzalez was recruited in the sixth grade and has been moving up in the program each year.
“Whoever wanted to get more involved, did,” she says. “I became historian by attending more meetings and field trips.”
Last summer, the group traveled to Boston to visit colleges, and this year it visited universities near San Francisco. In 2011, the club plans to tour college campuses in the New York area.
“I loved Boston. Everything there is very different from California,” Gonzalez says.
This new sense of adventure also inspired her interest in traveling to Tibet.
“After learning about the culture in world history, I was excited,” she says.
Tibetan natives do not have television, Game Boys or the common technologies Americans have.
“I love Tibet because I love the way the society is peaceful. They always try to think positively,” Gonzalez explains.
She plans on visiting Tibet after graduating from college.
“I love to live the simple life, and Tibet is a great place to live this way,” she proclaims. ”For now, I plan to live this life by starting with the Gear-Up Club.”
