I began rowing with Dharma and my youth team in 2015 towards the end of my freshman year. Looking back now as a senior, I can without a doubt say that Dharma Voyage and Ben Booth have changed my life and others’ lives for the better. From creating my own special way of getting into the gigs after a swim to spending weekends competing in Vermont, my experiences with Booth and my team are memories that I will cherish forever. Rowing has helped me through tough times at school and in my personal life not to mention the many, many non-rowing injuries I have acquired along the way (who knew rowing could be so good for concussions, am I right???).

This past summer, however, was something truly exceptional. My team and I spent months training in an Australian Surf Boat, one of the few that are in the United States, for our expedition to Penikese Island. Those early mornings at the beach were so much fun, but very challenging as well. As the summer progressed from June to July to August, we became stronger and more confident in our skills. We were catching less crabs, being thrown off our seats and body-slammed by the oars less and less. One teammate and I joked that we could do pull-ups for the first time since elementary school! When the day finally came to take our journey, excitement and nervousness was in the air. It was a cloudy day, and the winds were already gnarly. The row from Gooseberry to Penikese was an awesome mix of exhilaration and brutality. It felt as if every stroke we took, the waves were pushing back against us twice as hard. Yet, under Ben’s always encouraging words and the interested gazes of our friends on the chase boat, we endured. We pulled and pulled and persevered and we made it. As Gooseberry faded behind us and Penikese slowly came into view, we were amazed at our own abilities. It was almost as if we had not realized the true extent of the results of all those early mornings, and when we finally reached the docks on Penikese, I don’t think any of us could wipe the grins off of our faces. The couple of days we spent there were unforgettable, but just to mention a few of my favorite things: our side trip to Cuttyhunk (minus my disappointment that the ice cream shop wasn’t open), jumping from the rope swing off the dock, THE FOOD!!! (omg I can’t say enough good things about our food), exploring the old graveyard and having our photo-shoot in the ruins on the island, hearing Booth’s crazy stories about sleeping in the desert and running through fire in Asia, the time and team-bonding that I shared with my friends, and Mr. Mike Sullivan letting me drive his boat through the harbor to the dock!

Apart from all of this, rowing became an outlet for each and every single one of us. A dear friend and teammate viewed and still views rowing as their saving grace. They live a much harder life than many of us here, me especially, and rowing for them was just what was needed as an outlet. Almost on a weekly basis, I would get a message thanking me endlessly for the introduction to Booth and rowing. To this day, they will tell anyone who will listen that our expedition to Penikese and the days that we spent there were the best days of their life. The encouragement and kind words that Booth always shows us boosted their spirits and self-confidence. They even bought a rowing machine to continue into the fall and winter months. The freedoms gained on that trip were unlike anything they had ever done before, unlike anything any of us had ever done before, and we owe it all to Ben and Dharma Voyage. Without this program, I honestly can’t say what our lives would be like today.

Thank you so much for anyone who has ever supported this program. It is life-changing and life-saving. I cannot thank you all enough for the extraordinary opportunities that I have been given. Because of you, my life has been forever changed, so thank you. You’re doing more than you know.