At the start of spring break, many ETSU students were anticipating sun-soaked beach trips, visitation home to their families, or simply relaxing in their PJs away from the bustling of campus life.
Yet, for the Honors College students and professors, a trip to Ecuador was under weigh and brought the beauty of South America into the lives of ETSU attendees.
The trip lasted from Saturday, March 12 through Thursday, March 17, and held preparations for ETSU’s 2022-2023 Academic Global year in relation to Ecuador. ETSU faculty from various departments and programs, such as Public Health, Theatre and Dance, Education, Geosciences, Appalachian Studies and more were in attendance, along with a select number of students from the Honors College sophomore class, who were given the opportunity to apply in the Fall 2021 semester.
From Physics and Japanese, to Business, to Geosciences, seven students of differing majors within the Honors College were chosen to participate, including Media and Communication student Miranda Hall.
“I don’t think any student on the trip actually shared a major in common,” said Hall, “It’s a hugely valuable opportunity since now we have the chance to share with everyone here at ETSU how exciting the global year is going to be.”
ETSU Global Year is hosted through the Honors College and delves into the new institutional partnerships and activities in relation to Equador through cultural events, exhibits and lectures, with an emphasis on scholarship and fellowship opportunities in the country, and even co-curricular activities on and off-campus.
The trip encouraged students to begin researching their own personal interests in Ecuador and gave students the opportunity to create culture kits based on various themes, such as mathematics or economics, that local schools will be able to check out from ETSU in order to learn more about Ecuador.
“My culture kit is emphasizing how story is used in Ecuador,” said Hall, “I love studying tourism campaigns as a Media and Communication major, so I explored tourism in the areas we visited.”
Focusing on the aspects of exploration that are emphasized within the Global Year curriculum, student and faculty travelers spent their sunny days in Ecuador delving through the importance of their personal interests as a dry run for future student excursions for the Global Year to come.
Filled with exploration and curiosity, the trip to Ecuador allowed students and faculty to expand their horizons and delve into the cultural integrity of the country.
“My experience in Ecuador completely sold me on ETSU’s global year,” said Hall, “being able to travel to Ecuador, even just for a few days, completely changed my perspective, and I can’t wait to share my excitement over ETSU’s new program with others.”
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