At Foreseeable Future Foundation, we believe in moments.
Not just milestones or measurable outcomes (though we love those too). We mean the kind of moments that sneak up on you. The ones where a student realizes, “Wait… I can actually do this.”
The senior ski trip in December 2025 was full of those moments.
With support from Foreseeable Future Foundation, senior students from the Tennessee School for the Blind and Governor Morehead School for the Blind traveled, flew on airplanes, navigated new cities, and yes, skied down actual mountains!
For many of them, it wasn’t just a trip.
It was proof.
Firsts That Matter
This trip came with a long list of firsts.
First time on a plane.
First time skiing downhill.
First time cross-country skiing.
First time ice skating.
And in some cases, first time thinking, “Maybe I’m braver than I thought.”
Andy, who coordinated the trip for the Tennessee School for the Blind, shared that students are still talking about it months later. What stood out most to him wasn’t just the skiing, it was watching hesitation slowly turn into confidence.
Students who were certain they “couldn’t” ski were, by the end of the week, navigating the slopes with determination. Seeing that fear turn into determination, and then pride, was incredibly powerful.
One moment captured it perfectly:
“Watching the students ride the chair lift, smiling and laughing, fully taking in the experience, in that moment, they truly believed in themselves and realized they could accomplish things they once thought were out of reach.”
You can’t manufacture that kind of confidence. You can only create space for it to happen.
More Than Just Snow and Skis
Joe, the point person from Governor Morehead School for the Blind, emphasized that this trip was never just about skiing.
Experiential learning hits differently. It takes students out of the familiar and puts them in situations where they have to adapt, advocate, and trust themselves. Airports, new routines, managing gear, communicating with different types of instructors, all of it builds real-world independence in ways a classroom simply can’t replicate.
As Joe shared:
“It wasn’t just about skiing, it was about showing them that new spaces, new skills, and new goals are accessible to them.”
There’s something powerful about standing at the top of a mountain – literal or figurative – and deciding to go for it.
Throughout the week, students pushed through nerves about heights, speed, falling, or just trying something unfamiliar. And yes, there were falls. That’s part of skiing. But there were also victories, big ones, and those are the moments that stick.
When Support Makes It Possible
Trips like this don’t happen without intentional support.
Foreseeable Future Foundation fully funded the experience, covering program costs with Challenge Aspen and ensuring students had access to adaptive instruction, equipment, and a safe, encouraging environment.
Because of that support, what could have remained a “maybe someday” became a very real “we’re doing this.”
Joe highlighted how critical that funding was in making the opportunity accessible to every selected student. And Andy saw firsthand how much it meant to the seniors to know the trip was fully supported.
“The students were overwhelmed with gratitude. They felt seen, supported, and valued.”
And sometimes, being seen and supported is the foundation for everything else.
Why This Matters… Especially for Seniors
Senior year is full of transition. Big questions. Big decisions. Big unknowns.
Experiences like this give students something steady to carry with them into that next chapter: evidence of their own capability.
Andy described the trip as life-changing for many of the students. He noticed a visible shift in their confidence. Not only on the slopes, but in how they carried themselves afterward.
Joe echoed that sentiment. When a student successfully travels across the country, navigates a new environment, learns a physically demanding skill, and proves to themselves that they can handle it, that confidence doesn’t disappear when the snow melts.
It carries into college campuses. Into job interviews. Into adulthood.
When asked to sum up the impact in one sentence, Joe said:
“This trip gave our students proof – not promises – that they are capable, independent, and ready to take on challenges they once believed were out of reach.”
Proof is powerful.
Impact for a Lifetime
At its core, this ski trip was about opportunity.
Opportunity to try.
Opportunity to struggle a little.
Opportunity to succeed.
Opportunity to discover new confidence.
Opportunity to advocate for themselves.
As Andy reflected, watching students arrive nervous and leave proud and empowered was incredibly moving. And as Joe described, the experience showed what happens when access, support, and belief all come together at just the right time.
At Foreseeable Future Foundation, that’s the goal.
Not just funding programs.
Not just sponsoring trips.
But helping create the kind of moments that stay with someone long after the snow melts and the suitcases are unpacked.
Because sometimes, one trip, one mountain, one brave decision to try, can change everything.