Demetri Elias, who grew up in an affluent family in Manhattan's Upper East Side, took a gap year after high school to travel the world before attending college. He visited Jordan, Ghana, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, London, Belize, Saudi Arabia, and volunteered in Ghana and New Orleans, gaining a new global perspective. Demetri realized the importance of experiencing different cultures and helping people in need while broadening his worldview beyond his privileged upbringing.

1. Welcome to the City that Never Sleeps…..

4. There are an estimated 18.9 million people living in New York City…………

5. But there is only one Demetri Elias….

6. He lives a seemingly privileged life on Manhattan’s Upper-East Side…. But Demetri’s life has been anything but stereotypical…….

7. Upon graduating high school, Demetri decided to put attending college off for a year and to travel the world to see what else was out there. What began as a vacation turned into the learning experience of a lifetime.

8. The following images aretaken from Demetri’s personal travel log They are real-life depictions of Demetri’s gap year

9. First destination: Jordan

11. Next Stop: Amman

12. Did I mention his dad is a famous wedding gown designer? Demetri and two colleagues at the Demetrios bride salon in Amman

13. After getting a taste for the finer things, Demetri decided toput things into perspectiveby taking a trip to Ghana

14. Demetri’s pictures from the St. Thomas School, where he worked

15. “Going to Ghana really helped me get in touch with what’s important in life. You come from this big bad city full of people consumed with what they have and how they dress. It can mess with your head if you live in that world for too long without taking the time to experience something like this.”

16. Bringing what he learned back to the states…… Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans in shambles. Thousands of volunteers flocked to the southern state of Louisiana to help. Demetri was one of them.

18. Vancouver Olympics But surprisingly this American wasn’t cheering for the USA….

19. GO GHANA!!

20. Before wrapping up the gap year abroad, Demetri made a few more pit stops…..

21. LONDON

22. Belize

23. SAUDI ARABIA

24. “I’ve been all over the world. Every place has brought with it a new experience; a different perspective on the way in which I saw the world before. The earth is a rapidly evolving place, and as long as you’re on it, why not get up off your ass, get out and see it? It doesn’t hurt if you help a few people out along the way.”