Ella Shapard of Chapel Hill graduated from Carrboro High School, where she was a member of the National Honors Society and spent time volunteering with Kidznotes in Durham. At UNC, Ella plans on studying Biology with a minor in Spanish and Marine Biology.
During her gap year, Ella travelled to Havana, Cuba and Bali, Indonesia. In Havana, Ella worked with Barrio Habana, a non-profit that crates extracurricular workshops for elementary school children to encourage creative thinking and problem solving skills. In Bali, Ella volunteered for the North Bali Reef Conservation where she built and implemented artificial reef structures to jumpstart coral reef growth in the area. While in Bali, Ella also received her PADI Open Water Diving Certification and spent time exploring various dive sites throughout the island.
Read Ella’s blog posts here: