Students are often unsure about what direction their lives should take, according to Road Trip Nation, a non-profit organization that wants to inspire the college generation.
Road Trip Nation held a screening of its latest documentary, entitled “Destination Unknown,” Thursday evening in Lockett Hall to educate University students about its purpose.
Recent college graduates from Pepperdine University founded the Road Trip Nation movement. Unsure about their plans for the future, the students rented an RV and drove around the country, interviewing anyone that had made meaningful career decisions, said Julie Nguyen, the LSU student correspondent for Road Trip Nation.
The group interviewed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, the programming director for Cartoon Network, the president of Starbuck’s and Michael Dell of Dell computers, among others.
The entire trip was taped and eventually adapted into a documentary and a book.
After gaining exposure and sponsorship, Road Trip Nation now is able to share its insights with college students and fund more students to continue the tradition, Nguyen said.
“Road Trip Nation sponsors students to take similar trips across the country, all expenses paid,” said Trey Slinkard, a business administration junior who is interested in applying to participate in this summer’s Road Trip Nation program. “It is all paid for, from your RV, to gas, to food. All you have to do is interview people along the trip that you find interesting and the footage will be aired as a PBS documentary.”
Many students who watched the documentary wondered how doing this could benefit them.
“[Road Trip Nation] wants to try to encourage students to do something fulfilling with their lives and not just choose to be in a profession because of parents, friends, professors, society at large or other pressures forced upon them by the outside world,” Nguyen said. “You will never be able to really get a good understanding of yourself and what your needs in life are unless you can step outside the box once in awhile.”
Road Trip Nation currently is touring college campuses to urge students to apply to participate in this summer’s all-expenses paid road trips, Nguyen said.
Students at the screening of the documentary said the film was inspiring.
“I have no idea what I want to do after college, but after watching ‘Destination Unknown,’ I realized that there are a lot more possibilities out there,” said Heather Joachim, an elementary education junior. “They interviewed Michael Dell and he dropped out of college to follow his dreams. It’s inspiring to see someone that believes in themselves that deeply.”
Road Trip Nation’s purpose is to show people how to find careers that they have passion for, Nguyen said.
“From watching these documentaries or applying to be a part of Road Trip Nation, a student will realize either that what they are studying is right for them or that they hate what they’re studying and shouldn’t waste any more of their precious time,” Nguyen said.
Applications for this summer’s road trip are available on roadtripnation.com, and will be due by April 15.
“Every person has a unique gift or talent and none of it should be wasted just because a parent or friends tell them it’s not possible,” Nguyen said. “Individuality is often overlooked when we’re in college. Many people tell us that ‘it’s this way, or no way,’ which is just not true. There are many paths to happiness and success, not just one.”