Instead of going straight to college after high school graduation, some students take time to travel, find internships, work or do community service.
2025 Lincoln graduate Corinna Smith is currently in Hangzhou, China, working as an au pair with a host family. Au pairs are live-in caretakers who provide services like childcare and tutoring in exchange for housing and a weekly stipend. Smith tutors English while taking Mandarin classes.
“I had originally decided to take a gap year as I had lined up an internship, but after it fell through I ended up finding out about au pairing through a friend of mine, and it seemed like an interesting opportunity to live abroad. I can work on my art portfolio with the expectation I’ll apply to universities this spring or next fall,” Smith said.
Smith’s experience has given her time to reflect and explore.
“It made me realize I do miss school, so I ended up taking some non-credit courses related to the field I’ll be applying to when I go to college,” Smith said. “As time has gone on, I feel like I have gained a sense of clarity about my future and my goals that I wouldn’t have had the time to develop if I were in college right now.”
2025 Lincoln graduate Quinn Brown also decided to take a gap year to work as a clothing reseller in Portland, selling thrifted clothes through the popular app Depop. Brown said business classes at Lincoln inspired him to turn part-time reselling into a full-time job after high school.
“Business classes were the only classes where I would say, ‘Wow, this is really interesting to see how somebody else does their business,’ and I loved talking to people about that, learning different perspectives on new businesses and seeing what I can do better,” Brown said. “I’m giving myself the opportunity to do something that I love.”
During his gap year, Brown has challenged himself to be independent and productive.
“I want to prove to myself that I can make just as much money here as a full-time job,” Brown said. “I would much rather work for myself and do something that I like than work for someone else.”
This year, Brown found success with a thrifted basketball jacket estimated to be valued at about $75,000: a game-worn Wilt Chamberlain warm-up jacket.
“If I did not take this gap year, I would not have found the jacket. That’s another reason that I’m very happy that I chose this path,” Brown said.
