We Featured Her Before as a Whiz Kid; Look at What Bridget McCann is Doing Now

Immaculate Conception High School graduate has returned from Peru after a summer service tour with DePauw University’s Servicio en las Americas program. She was one of only 17 students invited to participate.

Bridget spent the first two weeks at DePauw camping outdoors, attending daily Spanish classes and performing small community service projects around Greencastle, Ind., in preparation for her trip. From there, it was off to Peru for three weeks, specifically to the Manu National Park, where the focus was on preservation and conservation of the environment. 

“It was everything you'd expect to see in a jungle from the way they portray it in the movies, from all the greenery and bizarre plants/animals to the absence of electricity and technology," Bridget said. "There were even two monkeys that followed us around and would sometimes crawl into our beds in the middle of the night.”  

Upon returning from jungle living, Bridget headed to the village of Cusco, one of the larger and more developed cities in Peru, where she lived with a local Peruvian family and helped build the foundation for a new preschool.  

In her final days in Peru, she took a four day trek on the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu, one of the most amazing urban creations of the Inca Empire, located in the Peruvian Andes. The group covered more than 25 miles while carrying most of their belongings on their backs. 

“It was the most difficult and exhausting thing I have ever done, but most of the time I was so caught up in the beautiful scenery I didn't have time to notice the negatives,” she said.  

The arrival in Machu Picchu on the fourth day of the expedition was “without a doubt, the coolest thing I have ever done,” she said.

Bridget graduated from ICHS in 2010 and earned Monsignor Plunkett Distinguished Scholar honors.  As a Christian Service leader, Bridget has traveled with the Immaculate Conception Parish Youth Group on mission trips during the previous two summers. 

Bridget has also participated in the Relay for Life and Crop Walk, and volunteered at Special Olympics. She also was a member of National Honor Society, IC volleyball, Knights Theatre, ICHS Super Squad, yearbook staff, math team and Spanish club.