Oscar Rouse is from Burnsville, North Carolina, and graduated in May of 2025 from Mountain Heritage High School, where he played varsity soccer and tennis. Throughout high school, Oscar participated in a variety of service projects through his school’s Eco Club and my local Quaker Friends Meeting, helping to clean up and reform my small community. Oscar currently works as a carpenter’s apprentice at a small eco-focused woodworking company, helping to rebuild and renovate homes destroyed by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
During his gap year, Oscar plans to work on permaculture farms in Sicily, Italy, and then hopefully head to Morocco to work with Dar Si Hmad, a community organization expanding water access to locals. Oscar hopes to learn more about the importance of hard work and community building while abroad, and also to figure out what he wants to do in college at UNC by exploring a variety of career areas.
After engaging in service work, Oscar plans to explore multiple other countries in Europe! Visiting Turkey and Croatia are at the top of his bucket list, and he would love to see more of Northern Africa as well.
Fun Fact: Oscar can sing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song in three languages.