FSU Gap Year Blog #1

My name is Jason Ashkanazi-Carnegie. I’m a 19 year old FSU student incoming for the 2020 year. I’ve always loved math and science and was on my high school’s math team for two years. They currently have won the national championship 12 out of the last 13 years. I also was in my high school’s marching band. After my gap year, I’ll most likely try out for the Marching Chiefs. I also intend to major in meteorology once I properly enroll at FSU, as that field has been a passion of mine since I was only 2 years old. Literally, I was 2 years old and already watching The Weather Channel for entertainment. Within the field of meteorology, I am particularly interested in tropical weather (aka Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, Tropical Depressions, Tropical Waves, and so on). As such, I’d like my experience during my gap year to (at least in part) have something to do with meteorology. As you might assume, finding experiences that fit this has been a difficult task. I am using an outside consultant to help me find good opportunities for my gap year. I don’t have a finalized plan in place for the full year yet, but I do know that Costa Rica is likely going to be my first stop this year, and Japan will likely be my last one. This is subject to change, but that’s what it seems like as of now. Japan is a place I’ve always wanted to travel to, and hopefully I’d be able to tie in some weather-related stuff when I go there since the Eastern Pacific Hurricane (or as they would say, Typhoon) season is the most extreme there is on the planet. I’m very excited for my future travels, especially considering I’ve never been on a plane or left the country ever before.