While most college students around the country use springbreak as a time to let loose and relax from the rigors of the school year, many students at La Salle use that break for something bigger.

Students immersed themselves in Indian culture for their Tibetan Buddhism and the Politics of Liberation travel study course.

Travel study courses and service trips continue to enrich the lives of students along with the lives of those around them, serving as a prime example of La Salle’s belief that the education you receive beyond the classroom is just as important as the one you find inside. This year, La Salle’s travel study courses took students and faculty around the world to England, France, India, Mexico, Italy, Chile, and Germany for various courses including political science, religion, marketing, English, and nursing. The service immersion trips took students around the globe, too, visiting Harlan, Ky. with Project Appalachia, Winston-Salem, N.C. with Habitat for Humanity, Honduras with TORCH Missions, El Paso, Texas, and Jamaica.

Students with TORCH Mission’s immersion program built homes in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

“It is wonderful to explore the world with students,” said assistant professor of marketing, Meghan Pierce, Ph.D. She and assistant professor of business law, Carolyn Plump, J.D., led the travel study trip to Santiago, Chile for Management Perspectives on Globalization. Robbie Geer, a senior international business and marketing major said that using Chile as an extended classroom was an invaluable learning process. “One thing we learned on the trip was about the everyday interactions and daily life which is almost impossible to experience through a book or movie,” he said. There was also time for some fun. “My most memorable moment was whitewater rafting down the Maipo River through the Andes Mountains,” said accounting major, Francis Johnson. Plump agreed, adding to the mix hearing the echoes of Chilean pumas along their hike in the mountains and an encounter with a local Chilean graffiti artist named Al at the Valparaiso. “It was an honor and a privilege to witness them experiencing the new country and to share those moments with them,” she said.

One of the more timely trips addressing current world events took students to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. Senior nutrition major, Ciara Morales, found seeing the border in person to be incredibly impactful. “I feel I put a face to the global issue through going on this experience,” she said. Morales and other students also made time for a little local culture with visits to two museums and many restaurants, adding “From churros to burritos, the food was incredible!”

Students from the El Otro Lado border immersion service trip climbed Mount Cristo Rey.

Senior information technology major, Anthony Kelly, validates just how life-changing these trips are for students. He traveled with Project Appalachia to visit Harlan, KY where they helped rebuild a house in disrepair. “Judging from the reactions of the townspeople and participants, we could see immediately the long-term difference this would make,” he said. “Many students reflected that they almost felt selfish for how much they have changed. But that personal change is exactly what we aim for.”

Overwhelmingly, students return from these trips with a renewed sense of La Salle’s mission and a newfound desire to fulfill it. Senior communication major Kenneth Brewer was selected as one of two La Salle leaders to join Standford University Innovation Fellows in Silicon Valley. During his life-changing trip speaking in front of 350 student and faculty attendees, a student from another university thanked him for giving her the motivation she needed. “Filled with emotion, we thanked each other,” he said. “And that, I will honestly never forget.”

Senior nutrition major Erin Galuchie helped lead the Winston-Salem, N.C. service immersion trip for Habitat for Humanity alongside fellow student Klaudia Sikora. “This trip helped to reaffirm my love for not only volunteer work, but also for service and helping to fight against the root causes of issues,” she says.

Sophomore communication major Kiersten McDonald spent her spring break shadowing alumnus, Justin Daniels, ‘05 at his job as a producer and editor with the MLB Network. McDonald was one of 19 students who participated in the inaugural Explorer Shadow Program, an initiative in partnership with Career Services and Alumni Relations. Putting the skills she’s learned at La Salle into execution in real scenarios, McDonald gained enhanced knowledge of the multistep editing processes for promotional video content and says she gained a good professional understanding of interdisciplinary teamwork to help prepare her for life after graduation.

Swee-Lim Chia, Ph.D., led his 13th travel study trip with La Salle as he explored Germany and France for an international marketing course and sees them each as an effective teaching tool. “[These trips are] a great reminder of what we do as a University, providing the opportunities and experiences for our students to develop into confident and capable professionals with a better understanding of a world beyond 20th and Olney.”

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