For most students heading off to college, the weight of the transition can be overwhelming enough. For Katrina Carolan of Austin, who’s spending her second semester in Ecuador, the lead-up to her university experience has been filled with preparation for life in a developing country.

Next month, Carolan will be heading to Bringham Young University in Idaho. A couple months later, she’ll be traveling to Ecuador to volunteer for four months at an orphanage.

That has meant that, in addition to the dorm room essentials, she’s spent her summer getting ready for her second move to Ecuador with the necessary shots and

travel documents.

Carolan was inspired to travel to Quito, Ecuador by her sister, Athena. When Athena was in college, she did a similar volunteer stint in Quito at the same orphanage she now helps run.

While Carolan has heard stories from her sister, she said it’s now time for her to experience — and help — for herself.

“I just want to see what it’s like,” Carolan said. “I think sometimes we live in a box in the U.S.”

Carolan also sees the experience as a way for her to explore her compassion for children — something she’s felt most of her life.

“I guess I have just always wanted to help people,” Carolan said, “and babies are so innocent.”

Carolan considers herself fortunate to have been raised in a place like Austin, Minn. She wants to use her circumstances to reach out to others who haven’t had the opportunities and love she’s known her whole life.

“I feel so fortunate and have had such a blessed life,” she said.

Carolan will be working through Orphanage Support Services Organization, based in Quito, Ecuador.

Having only traveled to Mexico and Canada, Carolan said she knows she’ll be subject to culture shock — and that’s exactly what she’s hoping for.

“It will be an experience that school can’t teach me,” she said.

She’s also hoping her experience will help her to understand what direction she should take with her studies. Carolan is entering university with a planned major in biology, but says she’s open to changing that decision, based on what she learns about herself through her trip.

Carolan said she knows she’s ultimately going there to help others, but says she’s expecting her life to be rocked — for the better — as well.

“In the end, it will probably change,” she said. “I’ll be a different person after this experience.”

That’s something her mother, Carol, is hoping for, as well.

Carol said she’s always encouraged her children to serve and travel, so that they may have a better understanding of what life is like for other people.

“It broadens your horizons,” Carol said of such travel experiences.

With two daughters in Quito, Carol said she and her husband, Dan, will try to make it down at some point to visit — and hopefully help with the orphanages, as well.

Before leaving for Quito, Carolan is hoping to raise enough funds to cover her costs. She has set up a donation fund through Orphanage Support Services Organization and is currently seeking sponsors who would like to be a part of her experience. All donations can be sent to Carolan directly at 301 14th Place NW, Austin, Minn. or through Orphanage Support Services Organization at P.O. Box 345, Rexburg, ID 83440, with a memo including Carolan’s name.

Carolan said all donations will help the needs of the orphanages through the purchase of milk, food, clothes, tutors, school registration fees, school supplies and costs associated with medical professionals such as physical therapists.

To learn more about Orphanage Support Services Organization, check out their website at www.orphanagesupport.org or call 208-359-1767.