The Experienced Counselors at The Center for Interim Programs

The Center for Interim Programs Counselors:

Holly Bull, President (Princeton, NJ office)
Jane Sarouhan, Vice President (Northampton, MA office)
Jason Sarouhan, Counselor (Northampton, MA office)
Kate Warren, Director of Research (Princeton, NJ office)
Joanna Lazarek, Vice President Emeritus
Cornelius Bull, In Memoriam

Each of our counselors has over ten years of gap-year counseling experience.
Between us, we have visited almost every continent in the world during our annual program site visits.
Holly Bull is the only gap-year counselor in the United States who combines the personal experience of her own two gap years with twenty years of professional experience solely focused on gap-year counseling.

Holly Bull

Holly Bull, President
(Princeton, NJ office)

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs, LLC

The Center for Interim Programs:

ITHAKA Cultural Study Programs in Greece

The Center for Interim Programs:

Interim Programs Attended

Tracking/Survival School:

Cetacean Research:

Social Service Work:

Academic/Cultural Study:

Dude Ranch Work:

Academic/Cultural Study:

Aquaculture Internship:

Education

Holly Bull, president of The Center for Interim Programs LLC, is one of the original Interim students. When her father, Cornelius Bull, pioneered The Center for Interim Programs in 1980, Holly took an Interim Gap Year before college to follow up on her interests in marine biology and Greece. In the fall of her year, she volunteered at an aquaculture research institute in Hawaii; in the spring, she attended an academic cultural study program in Greece. Hawaii made her realize she did not want to be a marine biologist (useful to know before potentially majoring in that field in college) and Greece gave her the rare experience of fully integrating formal study with the culture around her. She came away appreciating learning for its own sake without the pressure of tests and grades.

After two years at the University of Virginia, Holly took a second Interim Gap Year to travel in India and Nepal, attend a semester program in Greece, and finish up with service work in Appalachia. Following her B.A. in Anthropology at UVA in 1986, she joined her father in his work in Interim and began counseling students through their own gap-year experiences. For two years, she also directed the U.S. office for the first program she attended in Greece. In 1994, Holly completed her Masters in Education at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and continued her counseling work at Interim, interspersed with travel to visit programs in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Europe and Turkey. She spent eight years of her childhood abroad in Turkey and Austria and speaks a smattering of French, German, Spanish, and Greek. To date, Holly has placed over a thousand individuals in programs in the 20+ years that she has been counseling people through the Interim gap-year process.

Jane Sarouhan

Jane Sarouhan, Vice President
(Northampton, MA office)

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs, LLC

Global Routes

Fern Tiger Associates

Global Routes

Fresh Start Farms

Travel: Professional, Academic and Personal

Education and Certifications

While Anthropology was an interesting major as an undergraduate at Boston University, it was not until Jane’s junior year spent circumnavigating the globe that her eyes were truly opened to the world. For those nine months she traveled and studied with professors, activists and students on nearly every continent, an opportunity that provided her with a vital link between her classroom studies and personal experience. Eager to continue her journey of learning by doing, Jane took her first gap year when she returned, moving to California to co-found an organization that employed homeless adults in urban organic gardens. More years followed in which a college degree, non-profit management and documentary filmmaking continued to satisfy her desire to combine education, skill development and civic responsibility through hands-on (and sometimes hard-earned) experience.

The opportunity to create and facilitate experiential programs for others came when Jane was hired by Global Routes, where she worked for the next 15 years. In that time she directed community service and adventure travel programs for high school, gap year and college students throughout the United States, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. She hired, trained and supervised field and fulltime staff; she worked closely with young adults as a mentor and travel guide; and she collaborated with parents as a manager and counselor.

Jane not only advises others, but continues to pursue personal opportunities for learning, connection and fun. She has volunteered on intentional communities in New Zealand and India, attended surf school in Central America, and summited peaks from 12,000 to 18,000 feet in Nepal, Costa Rica and Tanzania. A mid-career break afforded Jane the time to develop teambuilding and leadership trainings, achieve her certification as a Wilderness First Responder and become a ski instructor. Most recently, Jane and her husband Jason joyfully welcomed their daughter Kaya into the world, who joined them on their adventures in Mexico, France and Bali all in the first year of her life

Jane collaborated with The Center for Interim Programs for over a decade as a colleague in the field of experiential education before joining its team as Vice-President. As a passionate educator and experienced administrator, she is committed to serving the needs and interests of young adults, parents and fellow professionals as they explore their own exciting next steps in life’s education.

Jason Sarouhan

Jason Sarouhan, Counselor
(Northampton, MA office)

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs, LLC

Global Routes

Selby Lane Middle School

Global Routes

Adventure 16

Athenian School, Adventure 16, Boojum Institute, Naturalists at Large, Children Are Our Future, Outback Adventures

Travel: Professional, Academic and Personal

Education

Training & Certifications

Jason was deeply imprinted by the diversity-focused curriculum of Thurgood Marshall College and the enigmas of physical anthropology and primate behavior. Outside of class, he supported incoming first year students as a Resident Advisor and captained the UC San Diego Ultimate Disc team. A serious shoulder injury sidelined him during his junior year and derailed much more than his athletic pursuits. Exhausted by fifteen years of academic study without application, Jason took a semester off from school (much to his parents’ chagrin) and spent five months traveling in eastern Africa and participating in a conservation and wildlife field program in Tanzania. A month-long independent study project living with one of the last known tribes of hunter-gatherers rekindled his love of learning and he returned to Africa two more times to participate in academic and archaeological digs in Kenya and South Africa. Following his graduation, Jason developed an on-campus paleo-archaeology field school and taught introductory anthropology and West African dance classes. He and his brother also co-founded an Improv comedy troupe that facilitated leadership conferences for high school students.

A fifty-five day Outward Bound Instructor’s course solidified Jason’s commitment to experiential education and he spent the next several years teaching, developing and leading kayaking, backpacking, rock climbing and natural history programs for youth, and organizing wilderness education programs for adults. Hired as a field leader for Global Routes in 2003 to facilitate international community service programs for teens, he then managed their Africa & Asia program for two years before assuming the responsibilities of director of the organization. As an administrator, Jason had the opportunity to further embrace facets of leadership as he hired, trained and supported field staff preparing to embark on cross-cultural immersion experiences.

Jason has dedicated his career to being an inspiring role model for his students and staff. As a committed educator, he is devoted to supporting individuals in clarifying their interests and taking continued steps towards self-discovery, the essence of his work as a gap-year counselor with The Center for Interim Programs.

Kate Warren

Kate Warren, Director of Research
(Princeton, NJ office)

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs LLC

The Center for Interim Programs

Civic Involvement

Travel: Professional and Personal

Education

Kate Warren has complemented her professional life with many civic volunteer positions and her passion for music. She is a member of the Board of Directors of her local housing authority and serves to ensure safe, affordable housing to low-income individuals and families. She is currently co-chair of the local juvenile justice conference committee, a division of the family division of the superior court whose primary goal is to get juvenile offenders back on track. She is a life member of both the NJ State Firemen Ladies Auxiliary and the Mercer County Firemen Ladies Auxiliary, and currently serves as President of her local auxiliary. Kate is politically active, having run for public office on several occasions. And, in addition to being a member of several choral groups, she has fulfilled a lifelong ambition to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Since joining Interim, Kate has visited and participated in several gap year programs to learn, first-hand, what Interim students encounter during a gap year. She spent several weeks engaged in a political internship in the western US and participated in a life skills and nature leadership school in Canada. She visited a southwest US "arcology" experiment focused on alternative methods of urban development, and also an archaeological research and education center focused on the demographics and migrations of Puebloan peoples. She spent a day as a blacksmith student in Colorado and observed students engaged in a hands-on gunsmith course.

Kate's colleagues have dubbed her a "super sleuth" in recognition of her steadfast quest to locate new experiential learning opportunities worldwide. Her willingness to let no stone go unturned has resulted in the addition of myriad new program options for Interim students to consider. She genuinely delights in matching students' interest with just the right program as they launch on a journey of self-exploration and personal growth.

Joanna Lazarek

Joanna Lazarek, Vice President Emeritus

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs LLC

The Center for Interim Programs

Education

It is with gratitude and affection that we bid Joanna farewell after her twelve years with Interim. She has been a fine counselor to so many students and adults and a conscientious and loyal part of our team. Although she will be missed, we applaud her decision to take her own gap time and "walk the talk". We know she will inspire others to consider doing the same and wish her all the best on her journey!

In her own words:
I have always been a firm believer in the value of experiential learning, educational travel and having successful learning experiences outside of the classroom. When Cornelius and Holly Bull hired me to answer phones in 1998, I had no idea what a good fit Interim would be. Working at Interim has given me the opportunity to spend over a dozen years helping others have the types of experiences that were so pivotal to my own personal growth.

I have gleaned tremendous satisfaction from seeing Interim students take on adventures and challenges, discover strengths and passions, grow, mature and change. I have greatly enjoyed reading emails, blogs and feedback forms describing their experiences, meeting with them upon their return to look at pictures and listen to stories, and hearing the pride in their parents' voices as they talked about the impact gap time has had on their sons and daughters. Most of all, it’s been wonderful to speak with alumni who took gap time years ago and hear how their experiences have influenced their lives; I have been proud to have played a small role in their transformation.

Now, after careful consideration, I have decided to have my own gap experience. As a "responsible adult" I am at times nervous about stepping off the train – it is, indeed, more challenging when one is older - however, my prevailing feeling is excitement over having the opportunity to explore interests like archaeology, wildlife conservation and cheese-making and travel to places I have yet to visit like Southeast Asia and Australia.

I am inspired by the hundreds of families with whom I have worked who have taken a risk and been transformed by the challenge. I am also grateful to Cornelius and Holly for helping us to see that this is a possibility for everyone.

Neil Bull

Cornelius H. Bull, In Memoriam
(New Jersey and Massachusetts offices)

Experience

The Center for Interim Programs LLC

The Center for Interim Programs

Salzburg Seminar

Sterling Institute

St. Mary's Hall

American International School

Verde Valley School

Robert Academy

Lawrenceville School

Education

Cornelius H. Bull III, In Memoriam, 1925-2004

Cornelius Holland Bull III, teacher, school headmaster, and founder of The Center for Interim Programs, died peacefully on March 16, 2004 at his home in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

During an active life spent in the U.S. and overseas, Mr. Bull gained a reputation as a dynamic headmaster, and, after he left the arena of formal education, as a passionate proponent of alternative education, the virtues of which he expounded on in many media interviews and in the speeches he was invited to deliver at schools all over the U.S.

After graduating from Lawrenceville School in 1944, he served for two years in the U.S. Navy during WWII and then went on to take his B.A. from Princeton University in 1948, followed by an M.A. in 1960 from the University of Virginia. Between degrees, he returned to Lawrenceville School to serve as a history teacher, housemaster, and wrestling coach.

Convinced that his future lay in school administration rather than teaching, he moved to Istanbul, Turkey in 1960 to become the headmaster of Robert Academy, a post he held for six years. After his departure from Turkey, he went on to direct Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona and then, in the 1970s, the American International School in Vienna, Austria and St. Mary's Hall in San Antonio, Texas. In the early 1980s, Mr. Bull served as the Director of Development for the Salzburg Seminars in Salzburg, Austria and Sterling Institute in Craftsbury Common, Vermont.

In 1980 Mr. Bull founded The Center for Interim Programs, a service designed to assist high school students in making a more effective and meaningful transition to college, and college students who were reassessing their goals. Prior to the advent of the Internet, he put together a comprehensive database of unique programs upon which he drew while counseling his clients about taking interim time and "following their bliss" for a period of one to two years. True to his nature, he rejected the idea of retirement and ran this program for the last twenty-three years of his life. He placed thousands of young people in apprenticeships, volunteer positions, and cultural study programs, while continuing to campaign for alternative education during visits to U.S schools and in many interviews for T.V., radio, magazines, and newspapers.

His daughter, Holly Bull, continues this work in Princeton, New Jersey as president of the The Center for Interim Programs LLC, with the assistance of Kate Warren, director of research. Her vice president, Jane Sarouhan, and counselor, Jason Sarouhan, run the Interim office in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The Center for Interim Programs Counselors:

Holly Bull, President(Princeton, NJ office)

Jane Sarouhan, Vice President(Northampton, MA office)

Jason Sarouhan, Counselor(Northampton, MA office)

Kate Warren, Director of Research(Princeton, NJ office)

Joanna Lazarek, Vice President Emeritus

Cornelius H. Bull, In Memoriam(New Jersey and Massachusetts offices)

Holly Bull, President
(Princeton, NJ office)

Jane Sarouhan, Vice President
(Northampton, MA office)

Jason Sarouhan, Counselor
(Northampton, MA office)

Kate Warren, Director of Research
(Princeton, NJ office)

Cornelius H. Bull, In Memoriam
(New Jersey and Massachusetts offices)