Free to Roam Adventures inspires insightful gap year adventures
Susan Staley, Founding Director
Susan spent her gap year after high school as a Rotary exchange student in Chile, an experience which instilled in her a passion for learning, an insatiable cultural curiosity, and the confidence to take risks in pursuit of her goals. As an undergraduate student she traveled to Brazil to conduct independent research as a Center for Global Health Scholar, and spent a semester studying at Peking University in Beijing. Susan earned a bachelors degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish from the University of Virginia. After two years working for the Virginia Farmworker’s Legal Assistance Project, Susan yearned for another long-term travel experience. Two additional part time jobs and ten months later, she left her jobs and set out on a solo backpacking trip through New Zealand & Australia, originally intended to last 6 weeks. Susan returned to the U.S. 3 months later, just in time to move across country to begin graduate school.
After completing her masters in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico, Susan began her career in international education leading summer and gap programs in Asia and Latin America. She honed her skills as a facilitator of cultural learning and mentor while trekking through the Himalayas, snorkeling in the Galapagos and building wells in rural Cambodia alongside gap year students. After three years living out of a backpack while traveling in support of gap year students, and with a desire to engage with students on a deeper academic level, Susan transitioned to supporting students through study abroad. For five years Susan directed an innovative multi-country study abroad program. In addition to traveling with students throughout Europe for nine weeks, she taught a course on intercultural learning, collaborated with other faculty members to incorporate relevant site visits and experiential learning opportunities into their courses, developed safety & risk management plans, and directly supported students as a mentor and teacher.
Susan now supports students and adults pursuing a gap year by designing customized gap year experiences that align with clients’ unique interests and goals. She believes a gap year can be a foundational experience which helps students to thrive in college by equipping them with real world experience and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world; and a rejuvenating and inspiring adventure for adults. She enjoys working closely with individuals to curate gap experiences that challenge clients and help them to develop the confidence and motivation to become true owners of their own lives.
Susan continues to travel regularly, vetting potential gap year opportunities, practicing her language skills, and exploring new, as well as re-discovering favorite destinations with her family. Susan is a member of the Gap Year Association and serves on the GYA Advisory and DEIA Committees. Susan resides in Nashville, TN and serves clients around the globe.
