Hey everyone!

I’m Carter Smith, and I’m a Glimpser. I am 16 years old and I attend Mountain View High School. MVHS is only 15 minutes away from the Google Headquarters in California, and about 45 minutes south of San Francisco. Despite being surrounded by up and coming tech, I’m definitely an arts and humanities person. I love to sing, dance, draw, and paint (but no promises on how skilled I actually am). What I’m most passionate about is language. My dream is to become an English teacher – probably in a US high school or a college, or maybe in a country where English is not an official language. I’ve also been taking Spanish for 5 years, and am currently in AP Spanish Language and Culture. I’m super excited for this trip because I love cool and rainy weather, hiking, learning about social and political current events, and being exposed to foreign language. Of course, I’m nervous as well. I worry that the altitude will really affect my ability to breathe and make my asthma flare up. I’m also apprehensive about the food. I wouldn’t call myself a picky eater– I’ll try anything once – but I definitely have a list of foods that I don’t prefer. That being said, I’m looking forward to stepping outside of my comfort zone with you all! Can’t wait to meet you in person!

PS: Below are a few photos of me: one with my dad, one with my sister (19 y/o), and one with my mom. My dad is white and my mom is African American, so I’m proudly biracial and I love my family!

PPS: My legal documents display my birth name as Kira Smith, but I prefer to be called Carter, and have been using that name for 3 years now. I am extremely grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding with this matter.