Alumni In-Focus: Sherry Ott, New Delhi, August 2007

Sherry Ott’s volunteer program with CCS was just one small piece of her journey around the world and into herself. After spending 14 years in Corporate America, working at a desk in information technology, she realized she needed a break. IT just wasn’t her. She had always been a mover and a shaker, city hopping around the U.S. and labeling herself as a “tumbleweed,” but the itch didn’t take her internationally until age 30 when she visited Istanbul. In July 2006, at age 36, she decided to make good use of her hard-earned bonuses and spend a year globetrotting. Faced with “why’s” from friends, family, co-workers and blog-readers, she would respond “why not?” She was not thinking about what would happen when she returned or even where she would be a few months after setting out. She took each day for what it was and experienced the world.

Sherry’s decision to volunteer in India with Cross-Cultural Solutions wasn’t a life-long dream or even on her short-term to-do list. In fact, she had hesitations about visiting India at all. She found Cross-Cultural Solutions while in Europe, about eight months into her world tour, and enrolled in her program after a good deal of internal debate. In New Delhi, Sherry volunteered at a tutoring center, teaching conversational English and computer skills to teenagers. She supported the existing curriculum of the center by providing individual attention to the students and building their confidence so that they could succeed in learning important skills to advance them in their education and careers. The unique experience of immersing herself in a culture and having direct and intimate relationships with the people in the community inspired her to continue her travels through service.

Returning home after a year and a half of travel, Sherry did not settle into her Upper West Side apartment and get back to business. Her experiences abroad didn’t feel like “traveling,” and New York didn’t feel like “home.” She discovered a new way of living, and it was her. She has now sold her apartment and most of her material possessions to cross the United States and re-connect with family and friends. The next chapter will take her back to service work, and she will be teaching in Vietnam for an extended stay. She discovered a passion for photography and writing during her travels and now shares her adventures with the world through her blog www.ottsworld.com and a published book of photography.