Mattias Horseman '10

I will never forget my scholarship interview for LAS. I was sitting in Marc Ott's office and we were going through the usual inter- view questions when Steven Ott walked in and asked me "Where's home for you?" Without hesitation, I said "here." And in a life- changing sentence, Steven said, "Well then, I guess we'll see what we can do."

My first experience with LAS was as a student in the summer program. From the moment I stepped foot on the Magic Mountain, I felt at home. Whether I was in the Black Box theater working on a play, in activities, classes, or walking into the village with friends, I felt safe. At the end of the two week program, I'd formed such a strong connection with Leysin that I didn't want to leave.

There is no way that I could have attended the full academic year program at LAS without the scholarship I received, and being given that opportunity so early in life taught me a valuable lesson that has stuck with me ever since: dreams can come true if you have the guts to pursue them.

I know that anyone who has been lucky enough to live in Leysin thinks fondly of the incredible environment that surrounds you there. Leysin is such a beautiful place to be and like many of you, I got to exist there under the colors of a thousand different skies. There's nothing quite as magical as looking over the folds of the earth every single day from your dorm room in Switzerland.

I credit my time on the Magic Mountain for shaping my sense of community. Through LAS service trips, I learned how to care for people outside of my immediate environment. And as a boarding student, I learned how to be there for people who were around me, day in and day out.

There's something beautiful about having to navigate worlds within worlds, and that has set me up for success. I now travel extensively as part of my job, interacting with so many cultures and different types of people, and I can look back and realize that my global experience at LAS prepared me to enter the ever-changing world that we live in now.

A scholarship is an investment in someone's future and their potential for good; these donations don't go into the school, they go to a student, a kid just like me. The tools that an LAS education provides will kickstart the rest of that student's life.

With time comes understanding, and I'm more grateful than ever for the opportunities I received at LAS experiences that have shaped how I move through the world. There's no greater gift than showing a kid that their dreams are achievable, and I have carried that gift with me through- out my life, continuing to pursue my dreams after LAS and positively impact the world.