Extended Inquiry Part 5: Finding Your Passion

I believe an individuals resulting values and strong comings will always vary due to everyone being their
own person with their own understandings, capabilities and experience. While some are predestined and
blessed with a strong learning capacity, a defined passion, sustainable money access to achieve the impact
they desire within their passion, and just an overall easier life, others must scratch and claw to achieve
any success they wish to gain, and my experiences are no different from this philosophy. Prior to the
completion of this extended inquiry, my original concentration coming from Xavier University was to
maintain the values that I obtained throughout my first year of college, which was to obtain the best for
myself every day until that promised success was presented to me. However, throughout the semester
and experiences gained while attending University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I have become more
educated on my desires, aspirations, and most importantly how to discover my true internal passion for
life. I conducted multiple self-assessment inquires, including a Whole Life Concept Report Paper within
my ENGR 1201 class under the basic question: How do I want to be remembered? Putting that into
perspective, and being the person I am, I have learned to follow my self-imposed motto, Nothing is
Impossible, when there is a desire to get something done, and that by acquiring a stronger foundation on
how I can apply my committed passions towards a successful career in the future, I can in return
determine how to make a difference in the world with a thorough comprehension of myself, inquiry as a
foundation for future learning, and the culture and world I expect to enter. Following, I believe that I can
develop my cultural awareness, networking through sharing involvements of others, and satisfy my thirst
for vast levels of experiences and practical applications through world expeditions, which is why I have
selected my bucket list item To travel the seven continents with my future spouse as a focal point for
my extended inquiry.
Many people believe that they cannot have a strong impact on the world around them by
following their passion because it seems like an enormous task, but I believe that a passion just needs to
be within a situation where the achievers intention is to do something moral. By way of design, my
passion for learning from the vast levels of experiences and practical applications of others can assist me
in taking my desire to a much more surreal that aspect or perspective, which is to just enjoy my
achievements and life as I become older and reflect upon my life. In Into the Wild, the life of Chris
presents itself as troubling, parents always fighting, and a troubling lifestyle, all the while Chris is
struggling to find his purpose through the life that his parents have presented to him. Unfortunately, Chris
doesnt feel a connection or passion for the predetermined life his parents have given him, forcing it to
become fake. In my opinion, the statement authentic life" refers to the disciplines of having a great
grasp of reality from non-reality, essentially defining the way an individual sees the world around them.
In the movie and novel, Chris wanted a life where it wasn't dictated by anyone else or thing, living by
only the rules and regulations set by himself. While some may believe that the youth feels a sense of
invincibility in their youthful vibrancy, I believe people feel so appealed to such risky behavior because
they are still under the influence of being bounded to parental rules and regulations. When becoming their
own person, the youth usually jump at the first chance they get to engage with something wild,
dangerous, and risky, just to receive the rush they never really obtained while under the wing of their
parents. Me personally, I do not see the goal of traveling the seven continents with my spouse as risky,
because I don't really like having things unplanned and rushed, which is why the majority of the time my
goals and future achievements have been outlined in order to prevent me from failing in acquiring the
success I desire through my passion.
Figuratively speaking, Chris's character in the novel, movie, and in real life was searching for his
calling, the way he should be living his life, and a place in the world where there was no doubt of what
was being perceived. Prior to leaving for his voyage to Alaska, his life failed to give him that purpose;
that sense of belonging, and the ability to depict the right from the wrong based on the morals provided

by the lifestyle of his parents. In my opinion, Chris's main goal wasn't to reach Alaska. It was to find
himself, to find out what was right, and to determine whether it was real and worth living for, and by
going to Alaska, Chris's main goal was achieved through the interactions amongst his muses. Much like
Chris, I plan on using my education beyond getting the perfect job or nice car, but rather a standard of
living. I intend on playing a contributing role within my community, providing outlets for those who
desire more of themselves, much like Jan Burres and Bob when in along US Highway 101 and Ronald
Franz when he ventures around Salton City. During both examples in the movie and novel, Christopher
Johnson McCandless sees past the lives that they claim to be living, and opens the world to them in
different ways, implying that a strong objective of someone within my mindset would be to have an
impactful engagement with those within my environment, thus developing the ability to touch the lives of
those around me, essentially motivating them into doing more than the next, imposing a trickledown
effect on the worlds outlook on its current situation. Deconstructing my bucket list item from this
concept, I asked myself what better way to share this ability, these experiences, my future success,
achievement, and THE WORLD, with the one I love the most?
While a great deal of dedication is required to become successful in what is mentioned above
where others have failed, there are also external factors that may play a role in my particular goal of
world expedition as well. For example, a number of substantive questions asked were:
What is my passion?

How does traveling changes perspectives on lives?

What motivates me?

Where do people find the risk of their lives traveling?

Why Travel? And to where?

How does this apply to me and Chris?

When should I go, and should I go alone?

What is the age range most people travel and why?

In order to combat these binding questions, research was conducted, involving me picking the
brains of successful individuals such as but not limited to Judi Dash of the National Geographic Traveler
and Zachary Zimmer of the Journal of Travel Research within their respected achievements via travel and
professional development, asking them how they achieved such a desired impact within the world.
Succeeding, conclusions were drawn revolving around the concepts of diversifying the environment in
which I planned on entering, and sharing memorable experiences with others along the way. According to
Zimmer, as we begin to grow older and our role within life begins to fall back a bit, we are put in a key
position with respect to the economic health and sustainability of the tourism industry, making them an
extremely important market segment (Zimmer, Brayley and Searle), implying that as an older American,
you are more likely to consider traveling more frequently, go longer distances, stay away from reality to
enjoy paradise longer, and rely more on your own travel motivates than any other segment of the
population. This statement suggested to me that I should in fact wait until I get older and more
accomplished to experience the world, and to have more to offer. Furthermore, the article states that other
motivations identified include opportunities for social interaction, physical exercise, learning, excitement,
socialization, exposure to novel situations, and escape from the stresses of daily life were powerful
motivators for travel by this segment of society, illustrating the connection between traveling and my
passion, which is becoming a stronger leader, dismantling the societal boundaries displayed daily, and
improving the opportunities for those underprivileged.
Valerie A. Taylor, writer for the Journal of Consumer Behavior, serves as a supporting cast to this
connection, alluding to the fact that specific factors such as income, education, rural residency,
willingness to spend money on recreation, and health status also influence the choice of destination, as
well as who they chose to go with to share experiences (Taylor). This reference demonstrates the

measure for influence of travel by the number of prior visits and satisfaction of such experiences, of
which implies that my selection for the locations of travel must acquire a deeper level that just what my
passions are, but also what my experiences have been. The combination of the articles presented by
Taylor and Zimmer, the result produced a much unbiased perspective on the pros and cons formulated by
the elderly when considering travel during the conduction of my research, which is why they were
selected for the final draft. Concluding, both articles suggest that not only does past visitations and
experiences positively affect an elder individuals traveling intention, their research focuses on the fact
that satisfaction within past trips positively affect an elders individuals attitude toward future visitation
to another destination. Additionally, both Songshan Huang and Gaelle Moal-Ulvoas, both writers for
Journal of Travel Research, believe that an elder individuals attitude toward revisiting a destination has
a significant positive effect on their revisit intention (Huang), implying that past experiences of others
who have revisited a number of times should also impact my decisions on where to go and why.
Following, I believe that my decisions will all come down to why I really want to travel, which is to meet
new people, learn new cultures, and share new connections and experiences with those around me
through networking and socialization.
This objective introduces the substantive topic of traveling with a spouse vs no spouse? In the
article Whether You're Planning a Trip Alone or Joining a Group Excursion As a Delegation of One,
There Are Strategies for Making the Most of a Solo Adventure, Judi Dash lists the pros and cons of
traveling with a spouse versus without, helping me decide between the two within the future. According
to Dash, the pros of traveling alone are that you are in charge of your own destiny (Dash) and possess a
great decision making power. I think that young people feel a certain level of fearlessness in their
youthful ignorance. They are willing to take risks in the search of an adventure that can come to be their
demise, which is what ultimately happens to Chris and why I have decided to travel as an elder. However,
by traveling alone, you get to choose your daily layout: when to get up, the route you take each day, what
food you will try, who to talk to, what cites to see, when to see them, who to talk to, etc. Traveling with
someone often leads to multiple cases of disagreement. When traveling with anyone other than yourself,
its quite common to find instances where one persons goals and expectations with be completely
different from the next. These disagreements often lead to getting on each others nerves, which can build
up tension, and if left untreated, can actually ruin the trip all together. Dash also suggests that it becomes
easier to culturally interact with others if you travel alone, as you find its easier to meet people and
make new friends when youre traveling alone (Dash). In my opinion, its almost necessary for you to
interact with someone other than who you know in order to navigate your trip accordingly, thus you being
to introduce yourself to other cultures much more willingly and easily rather than being confided by your
partner or group of people.
From the information above, youd first suspect the battle between spouses versus no spouse has
be swayed slightly. However, after reviewing the article further, I discovered that the cons of traveling
alone outweighed the pros, ultimately helping me decide it best to travel together than alone. According to
Dash, by traveling alone you derive yourself of a safety net for error. While traveling alone does provide
the perks of a necessary cultural interaction and bond forming between strangers, it could easily negate to
becoming a target for those who wish to take advantage of unsuspected tourists, and You need to be
mentally strong to travel by yourself (Dash).
Furthermore, There is no one there to check your choices and correct you when youre wrong
(Dash), implying that the individuals you travel with, in most cases, know your tendencies and are there
for you through thick and thin, which is why having them around can be a benefit. They often can prevent
you from making an ill-advised decision, such as trying a food that you probably shouldnt, overpaying
for something, and even turning left instead of right at an intersection. Dash also discusses expenses and

the lack of human interaction, simply stating that the factor of money should always be taken into
consideration when considering traveling around the world. However, when traveling alone, you often
must pay a considerably higher price towards to end of the trip compared to those who travel in packs.
Additionally, while traveling around the globe, there will be cases where you must meet new people in
order for you to get to the places that you wish to go, however, for the majority of the time, the people
that come into your life during your travels tend to drift away are your trip exceeds its stay, and you wish
to continue forward. During this transition, you fail to interact with others due to the simple fact that they
are not going the same route as you, that dont share the same travel goals, and dreams, which forces you
to be limited to only the open road and thus, the emotional and psychological effects of solo travel can
not only be difficult, but damaging as well (Dash). The concepts discussed above illustrate the
differences between a prepared, experience travelers experiences to ones of many young people like
Chris McCandless, who are drawn to adventure, who are ready and willing when a chance to experience
something life changing comes along, and result in negative outcomes. While they both take risks, there is
also a fine line of precaution, and that is the type of adventure seeker I aspire to be.
As I dove further within my topic, I began to come across similarities between the Whole Life
Concept Model and my topic on passion. Relating this concept to the Whole Life Concept, my application
and impact will be greatly affected by not only my passion, but the amount general knowledge I possess
as well. These technical and nontechnical lessons learned in college are required to transform a passion
to a reality that impacts the world. My ability to convert my passion into application and later on impact
is weighed heavily or my individual core which in my opinion centers from the experiences obtained
while within the bounds of the diverse community of college. Laying the frame work for how well an
individual can reason, perceive, and react while in certain situation, college provides individuals who
desire to learn an example of how to achieve such success in the real world through interaction with
fellow peers. Thus, it is dependent upon me to focus exactly what, if any, fixation meets the self-imposed
expectations for myself, considering my shortterm and longterm objectives and the impact I wish to
make. My individual shortterm and longterm objectives shall give a premise to finding out where my
education must lead me and help develop professional skills and applications, and without the depth of
study and level of detailed general knowledge within the core, there is no voyager, world conqueror,
shared experiences, or passionate achiever. This approach follows the philosophy of an achievers
intention to do good, hence symbolizing my use of passion to contribute to the world around myself.
While all of the above disciplines embody realistic and well-developed impacts I wish to achieve through
my passion, my most important goal is to have a sense of self-fulfillment for becoming a stronger leader,
and changing the way individuals think about the environment and society impacting the world for the
better, and thus labeling myself as a distinguished pioneer for those to remember (UNCC, Whole Life
Concept Project).
According to UNCC Charlotte Student Learning Outcomes for a Bachelor of Science in
Computer Engineering Degree, as an Computer Engineering student in training, one goal should be able
to [understand] professional and ethical responsibility, communicate effectively, understand the impact
of engineering solutions in a global and societal context, and have knowledge of contemporary issues
(UNCC, UNCC Charlotte Student Learning Outcomes for a Bachelor of Science in Computer
Engineering Degree), which also related back to my bucket list item by questioning the kind of impact
my adventure with my spouse will have on those around/close to us, i.e. family, friends, and the
people( in Chriss case his muses) we meet along the way. In order to answer this question, the uses of
the Whole Life Concept Model was very useful, as it pertained to how an individual can start with a
passion, and expand upon it to develop an impact.

In order for me to reach this level of success and fully express my passion, the incorporation of
prerequisite requirement courses like, ENGR 1202 Introduction to Engineering Practices and Principles
II, ECGR 2104 Computer Engineering Programming II, and LBST 2102 Global and Intercultural
Connections will all be necessary for me to achieve my desired impact as outlined in the 2014-2015
Undergraduate Catalog: Electrical and Computer Engineering from UNCC. I believe this to be true
because the lessons learned in these particular classes can be applied to others, opening the world to the
individual who uses them correctly, as they all examine different cultures in the contexts of the global
conditions and influences that impact all major world cultures today, paying particular attention to an
analysis of the complex nature of globalization and to a consideration of both its positive and negative
impacts, developing my appreciative approach for the diversity others have to offer (UNCC, 2014-2015
Undergraduate Catalog: Electrical and Computer Engineering).
My goal for this essay and overall project was to focus on the reason why people travel, and
specifically speaking the impacts made through this task. Chris McCandless desired a taste for exploring,
and to live an authentic life as opposed to the one displayed for him by his parents. After conducting
research and over the course of this semester, I found myself to be very relatable to Chris on why we both
wanted to travel. We both desired to find ourselves through our experiences during voyages, and this
prevailing mindset concludes that it is often reasonable to live within the moment and be free to
experience all that life has to offer. My prior knowledge coming from Xavier dictated the impression that
there would be much thought involved in choosing a major and career for the outcomes of my life.
However, during the composition of this paper, I feel I have been provided with a better opportunity to
evaluate my decisions, and I feel more confident in obtaining my goal of traveling to the seven continents
with my spouse, as it provides me the immense opportunities. This paper has been very important to me at
this stage of my academic career because I was unsure if I had been really achieving what I had set out to
do with my passion: becoming a stronger leader, dismantling the societal boundaries displayed daily, and
improving the opportunities for those underprivileged. At my current stage in life, this paper has helped
condensed my outlook on my life, while at the same time broadened my understanding of every part of
the contributing pieces to making my dream a whole, and I now perceive that they are all necessary to
making a successful trip further down the line. I will be able to demonstrate a way to better the society
through travel, which provides me with an outlet for my lifelong passion to do better for those around me
with the skills and knowledge acquired during my years at UNC Charlotte. Now that I have completed
this assignment I am much more comfortable with the planning my voyage. I will uses traveling as a tool
for excellence as I strive to help develop cultural awareness through world expeditions, networking
through sharing involvements of others, and leveling the social environment for societal diversification,
thus making the world an improved place for everyone.

Works Cited
Dash, Judi. "Whether You're Planning a Trip Alone or Joining a Group Excursion As a Delegation of One,
There are Strategies for Making the Most of a Solo Adventure." National Geographic Traveler
(1997): 20. PDF.
Huang, Songshan, and Cathy H. C. Hsu. "Huang, SonEffects of Travel Motivation, Past Experience,
Perceived Constraint, and Attitude on Revisit Intention." Journal of Travel Research. 48.1
(2009): 29-44. Print (2009): 29-44. Print.
Taylor, Valerie A. "The Spirtiual Benefits of Travel for Senior Tourists." Journal of Comsumer Behaviour
(2014): 453-462. Document.
UNCC. "2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog: Electrical and Computer Engineering." UNCC Charlotte
(2013): 1-2. PDF.
UNCC. "UNCC Charlotte Student Learning Outcomes for a Bachelor of Science in Computer
Engineering Degree." UNCC Charlotte (2013): 1-5. PDF.
UNCC. "Whole Life Concept Project." (2013): 1-7. PDF.
Zimmer, Zachary, Russell E. Brayley and Mark S. Searle. "Whether to Go and Where to Go:
Identification of Important Influences on Senior's Decisions to Travel." Journal of Travel
Research (1996): 3. PDF.