Fifty-seven adventurous students will hit the road during spring break, not to bask in the warmth of a sunny southern beach but to explore careers, experience unfamiliar cultures, and learn through service.
Three global learning seminars are traveling to Europe. Janis Chakars and Kerry Hustwit will lead 13 in the Globalization and New Media class to Berlin; Hubert Lee and Kathleen Swanik are guiding 15 Global Health and Wellbeing students to Athens; and Thomas Dodds and Preeti Singh are creating a Global Consulting Project experience for 14 students in Dublin.
“While in Berlin, students will visit the studios of the broadcasters RBB and Deutsche Welle,” says Chakars. “We will tour the newspaper district with a local journalist and meet an American journalist working in Berlin. We will visit the offices of the newspaper Tagesspiegel and visit with the host of a radio show about migration to the Western world.”
According to Swanik, “Students traveling to Athens will explore the foundations of the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle through immersive, hands‑on learning while also participating in guided tours of historic Greek landmarks.”
Students in the Dublin group will engage in consulting activities with two partner organizations in Ireland. After returning to campus, teams of students will continue developing their project and deliver final recommendations directly to Irish company leaders before the semester ends.
“Global learning experiences broaden our students’ perspectives and enhance their career readiness,” explains Victor Betancourt, associate provost for global engagement, who played a key role in arranging the three European trips.
Guilherme Lopes, director of campus ministry, has guided students through the process of volunteering for immersive service-learning experiences in Appalachia and Baltimore.
Eleven will spend spring break at Bethlehem Farm, a Catholic community in Appalachia that transforms lives through service with the local community and the teaching of sustainable practices.
During a week at the Farm, students serve with peers and neighbors in home repair projects, have fun and build relationships with people they just met, and dig deeper into spirituality and the meaning of life.
Four students will experience the Franciscan Action Network’s “Urban Plunge to Baltimore, Maryland.”
Trip participants will visit and serve at Baltimore nonprofits, including Filbert Street Garden, the Franciscan Center, Little Portion Farm, Masonville Cove, and Safe Streets.