Lauren McLemore
Q&A with CAC alumna and soon-to-be World Racer
What is the World Race?
The World Race is originally 11 in 11. Which means 11 countries in 11 months, but you have to be 21 to do it. They were getting a lot of attention from college students, but grad school and life responsibilities were keeping most people from participating.
So they decided to create a type of study abroad program and call it Gap Year, which is what I’m doing. It’s three countries in nine months, the span of a college year.
Why did you decide to take this Gap Year?
I was the typical busybody in high school and I completely exhausted myself. Senior year I gave myself a break by quitting my job and not taking hard classes. I decided that I needed more of a break, so I started thinking about taking a gap year after I graduated.
My friend Libby told me that she was doing this thing called The World Race: Gap Year and that I should look into doing it too. It sounded cool, so I applied without knowing what I was getting myself in to.
What is your route?
My route leaves in October and I’ll be going to Ecuador, India and Zambia. Originally it was Malaysia, India and Zambia, but multiple factors kept us from going to Malaysia...basically it just wasn’t safe for us to be there. But there really aren’t any guarantees, the route could change while I’m on the race.
Read McLemore's full Q&A here on CACMustangs.org.
