Meet Frieda Seeger
Educator, mentor, and founder of Kingfisher Horizons. I have spent more than 20 years helping students engage meaningfully with the world. I founded this practice because I believe the year between high school and college can be one of the most transformative of a young person's life — when it is approached with intention.
This is not just a professional conviction — it is something I have lived firsthand.
My Path to This Work
After high school, I took a gap year and left my small village in eastern Germany to come to the United States as an Au Pair — living with a family in Wisconsin and caring for their children while immersing myself in a new culture. They became my American family — and they are still an important part of my life today. That year shaped my independence, my worldview, and ultimately the direction of my life in ways I am still uncovering.
Years later, I stepped into that space again — this time with my daughter. In 2022–2023, we designed our own sabbatical year: reconnecting with my roots in Germany, working on ecosystem restoration in Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest, studying Spanish and sustainability in Costa Rica, exploring the Galápagos, and living in indigenous communities in the Andes and the Amazon in Ecuador.
My love of travel and immersive cultural experiences has been a constant thread throughout my life— and continues to shape how I guide students toward their own transformative journeys.
That year reminded me what it feels like to be a learner again — and deepened my conviction that the most meaningful experiences are the ones you design yourself.
Having lived this both as a young student and as a parent, I understand firsthand how powerful — and how complex — this moment can be. That dual perspective shapes everything I bring to this work.
Former gap year students on a wellness walk, NORTH CAROLINA
Professional Background
I hold a PhD in Educational Research and Policy and a master's degree in International Education. Over more than 20 years working in international higher education, I have designed and led experiential learning programs abroad and in the US, collaborated with university faculty and global partners, and facilitated courses and workshops that support students in engaging thoughtfully with the world around them.
From 2019–2023, I served as the primary coach and mentor for UNC-Chapel Hill's Global Gap Year Fellowship, guiding students through service placements, cultural transitions, and their return to college. Since then, I have continued to mentor many of these students as they navigate their academic, professional, and personal paths.
My doctoral research focused on the role of mentoring relationships in the college experiences of first-generation and low-income students — work that continues to inform both my practice and my commitment to equity.
What keeps me in this work is the students themselves — adventurous, creative, and passionate young people who want to make a positive difference in the world. They inspire me to live by example.
Sent off on our own gap year - by the students who inspired it all. NORTH CAROLINA
How I Work
As an international educator and mentor, I guide students through every phase of their gap year journey — from the initial planning process through the experience itself and beyond.
I begin by helping students clarify their values, identify meaningful opportunities, and design a year that is genuinely theirs. From there, I invite them to reflect deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and make meaning of their experiences as they unfold. Rather than offering answers, I listen, ask powerful questions, and help students learn how to navigate uncertainty, tell their own story, and take ownership of the path they are creating.
In practice, this means showing up as a consistent, honest, and deeply invested presence — someone students can count on from our very first conversation through their return home and into college.
Much of this work happens from my backyard treehouse in Chapel Hill — a place that reminds me daily that the best thinking often happens when you step outside the ordinary. I am also an avid birder, which perhaps explains why the kingfisher felt like the perfect symbol for this work: patient, precise, and always watching the horizon.
Studying Spanish in my homestay in the Andes, ECUADOR
Equity & Access
Gap years have often been seen as opportunities for students with financial privilege. At Kingfisher Horizons, that is something I am actively working to change.
I am committed to expanding access to meaningful, well-supported gap year experiences — especially for first-generation, lower-income, and historically underrepresented students. My doctoral research on mentoring relationships and the college experiences of these students continues to inform both my approach and my values.
This work sits at the intersection of research, mentorship, and lived experience. I am committed to helping every student use this time intentionally — not as a break from growth, but as a foundation for what comes next. I support this through:
a community-supported tuition model
access-tier pricing
a limited number of fellowship placements
guidance navigating financial realities and planning
The horizon should not belong to a few. It belongs to every student ready to grow toward it.
If you would like to learn more about whether Kingfisher Horizons is the right fit for you or your student, I would love to connect. The first conversation is always free.
Testimonials for Kingfisher Horizons
These reflections come from students I had the honor of mentoring through the Global Gap Year Fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill — and who continue to inspire me
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![Young woman smiling outdoors near a wooden fence, with a scenic lake and mountainous landscape in the background.]()
I took a gap year because I needed a break from doing what I was "supposed to do" — to find out what I actually wanted. What surprised me most was how scared I was that I would not want to go back to school, when in reality the gap year gifted me back my love of learning. It made me approach college completely differently and more intentionally.
My gap year showed me the deep importance of community and how much it mattered to me to have a village of people around me. It also made me intentional about my time — I stopped doing things because they would "look good" and started doing them because I genuinely cared. I took classes that met no graduation requirements simply because I wanted to learn about theatre on the West End or Native Americans in North America. I became a more well-rounded person because I chose to.
Frieda looks at the world in such a beautiful way. You always walk away from a conversation with her feeling a little lighter and seeing things from a different perspective. She will engage with you like the adult you are, challenge you to think about what you really want outside of external pressures, and always tell you the truth — usually accompanied by a cup of tea.
To any high school senior feeling nervous about taking that leap: do it. Taking a year for yourself is never something you are going to regret. You will always have time to go back to school — do something that will feed your soul first.
Taylor M.
Former Gap Year Student and current Director of the Global Gap Year Fellowship, UNC-Chapel Hill
Taylor spent her gap year teaching English at a school in the Andes in Ecuador. On the weekends, she joined her host family cooking and serving traditional food at a hornado stand (food stall). She graduated in 2025 with a B.A. in Human and Organizational Leadership Development from UNC-Chapel Hill. -
![A young man with dark, curly hair, a mustache, and a beard, wearing a patterned sweater and a silver chain necklace, smiling at the camera against a plain white background.]()
I was a pretty jumbled mess when I met Frieda during my gap year — and she managed to see my interests and aspirations and instill a confidence in me that has kept me pursuing my wildest dreams ever since. She is incredibly warm and inviting, but she'll also say things exactly as they are. I see her as my coach: when I have obstacles, she offers insight into how I can overcome them myself. In that way, she has helped me see my strengths and potential when I had trouble doing so myself. I'm not sure if it's her life experience, fierce compassion, or a bit of magic — but I know that when I have a cup of tea with Frieda, I will always walk away learning something new about myself.
Tushar V.
Former Gap Year Student, UNC-Chapel Hill
Tushar spent his gap year working on a tea farm/homestead with a host family and volunteering at a used bookstore on the Big Island in Hawai’i. He graduated in 2025 with a B.A. in Advertising from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media , and a minor in Anthropology.. -
![A woman with long dark hair wearing earrings and a red jacket with a City Year logo, standing outdoors with tall buildings in the background.]()
Frieda has been an incredible mentor, coach, and support system throughout my gap year and my time at UNC Chapel Hill. I am constantly taken aback by the many ways she has impacted my life and continues to do so.
Throughout my gap year, she pushed our cohort to authentically engage with the communities we worked with and interrogate our own place in the world. Her guidance through reflections and thoughtful assignments contributed to the fulfilling and transformative year I experienced.
When I came to her interested in studying abroad, she immediately directed me to a program in Cape Town and told me ‘This is the push you have been looking for.’ I was right to trust her — it was an incredible experience. She has since connected me with colleagues in community health, the field I now know I want to pursue.
Frieda has immensely impacted my personal and professional growth over the last three years, and continues to be someone I turn to for guidance.
Jaya D.
Former Gap Year Student, UNC-Chapel HilllJaya spent her gap year working with AmeriCorps City Year as an assistant teacher and literacy coordinator at a middle school in Washington, D.C.. She graduated with a B.S. in Health Policy and Management from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health in 2025.
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When I decided to take a gap year, I was hoping to experience life outside the United States. What I didn’t expect was how completely it would reorganize my priorities — and build the dreams and motivation for a future I am still working toward today.
Frieda helped me find experiences that paired with my intentions for the year, and guided me in understanding how what I was living could have impacts far beyond the year itself. She helped me build a critical awareness about balance in life at a young age.
I came out of my gap year highly motivated, clear on my values, and ready to pave my own path — not waiting for college to hand me one. From start to finish, I wasn’t looking for college to make me a path. I was looking to build it myself.
Of the dozens of people I’ve met who have taken service-based gap years, none have ever regretted it.”
Rose S.
Former Gap Year Student, UNC-Chapel HillRose spent her gap year in the Hawaiian archipelago doing native farming and coral restoration. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with highest honors, earning bachelor's degrees in Biology and Applied Data Science.
