By David A. Alpert and Annie Dreyer

A fellowship program was created this summer to help one graduating senior next year take a gap year between graduation and college. 

Since the expense of taking a year off between high school and college is an obstacle to most students, The Brownstein Fellowship hopes to eliminate this deterrent and encourage students to think creatively when planning their adventures abroad with focuses on humanitarian assistance, employment and cultural education

Though only one grant will be given to a Harvard-Westlake senior this year, Harvard-Westlake and the Brownstein family hope to expand the program. In the future there are plans to fund numerous seniors and provide access to other Los Angeles students by creating a Harvard-Westlake-based consortium of independent and charter schools. 

The Brownstein Fellowship was created by the friends and family of Michael Brownstein ’99, who died in a rock climbing accident in June, in memory of his passion for travel.
The Fellowship Program can be reached at  www.brownsteinfund.com.