Housatonic Valley Waldorf School 2011 graduate Quinn Whelehan returned to his former school on Tuesday, January 17, to share a presentation about what he has learned so far from traveling between high school and college.

Roughly 20 people gathered in the evening to hear Quinn's presentation, which shared pictures and stories from his journey since graduating high school. Quinn also spoke about his diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis at a young age. Quinn described ankylosing spondylitis as a type of arthritis.

After graduating from Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, Quinn attended Joel Barlow High School in Redding, and he plans to attend college next school year after traveling more. Quinn spoke about how his time at Housatonic Valley Waldorf School helped him find outlets for his pain and inspired him artistically.

Quinn had a number of examples of his paintings on display for the presentation. At 4 years old, Quinn said he began limping and experiencing pain. It took four more years for the diagnosis to be made, after many tests.

"All I wanted to do was run around the Waldorf playground and play with my friends," he said.

Quinn explained how his Waldorf education helped him by giving him a structure to grow and the liberty to experience life for himself.

"Waldorf gave me freedom, freedom of expression and creativity," he shared.

He also found comfort and inspiration in nature. He spoke of the association he has between nature and healing. In a world where time is spent sitting in front of computers, Quinn said, the modern urban environment creates a pressured atmosphere.

"We have forgotten the most powerful medicine of all: nature," said Quinn.

Stress, he said, has become an overwhelming factor of society.

"I'm here to tell you nature is a treatment," he said.

Nature helped him. He also shared that while pain is inevitable, "it is suffering that is optional." His experience taught him that people should not let their circumstances define them.

"You can't let that limit you or [stop you] from pursuing your dreams," Quinn said.

His experiences and his views on how being in nature helped him, Quinn explained, led to his decision to take a "gap year" between high school and college to travel. Quinn also blogged about his traveling experiences online at

quinnwhelehan.com.

Quinn shared pictures from his travels through Peru and Ecuador. Pictures show markets he shopped or explored, animals he discovered while on excursions, people he befriended, and places he saw. In one day, he said, he journeyed from a hot humid climate up to a snow capped mountain. He paraglided in Ecuador, volunteered at an animal rescue center, volunteered with a community to farm, and saw "incredible waterfalls."

Quinn is funding his year of traveling through sales of artwork on his blog and fundraising. For more information about Quinn's travels and future plans, see his blog at

quinnwhelehan.com.