Although only a sophomore, Marley Parks has already traveled the world and developed a love for exploring different cultures through service projects and academic programs.

Community service has always been a part of Parks’ life, starting with Girl Scouts and food drives, and it has now led her all across the world.

Parks embarked on a five-week service program to Nepal over the summer with an organization called Global Routes, a program that sends students on service trips to rural areas all over the world. She stayed with a local family in a remote village in the district of Kakani.

“[The homestay] really helped me to get immersed in the culture and learn about the family life,” Parks said.

While in Nepal, her group helped build two classrooms for the local school and raised enough money for a bathroom to be built through donations from family and friends.

Parks also had the opportunity to hike in the Himalayas.

“We went to the base camp of Annapurna, which is the tenth tallest mountain in the world,” Parks said. “It was beautiful up there.”

Parks will be attending a semester school in Idaho, the Alzar School, for the second half of the school year from January to June. It is centered around education outside the classroom and learning about new cultures.

“So, your gym class would be white water rafting… [and] you could be learning physics and you’ll learn how skiing relates to that,” Parks said.

She will also participate in a Spanish immersion experience in Chile for six weeks as part of her school experience.

“Your homework would be to talk to the locals around you and go buy groceries,” Parks said. “It ends up being really helpful.”

Parks loves to see and explore new parts of the world and decided to go to the Alzar School after hearing about it from a friend.

“I will take all the opportunities I can get to travel,” Parks said. “I just really love seeing other cultures in countries and how different things are.”

Sophomore Macey Poitras-Cote says that she is inspired by everything Parks has done.

“She always has a cool story about everything,” Poitras-Cote said. “She’s so inspiring.”