By Christina Meiser
Florida Southern College’s student travel showcase was held after Convocation on Oct. 5 and presented students with a wide variety of unique international travel opportunities.
The Student Travel Showcase was held in the Fanin Center on campus from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and was packed with many students wanting to discover all the trips available to them for the spring break and May option.
Dr. Louis Di Leo, an assistant English professor, will be hosting a spring break trip to Costa Rica. Students will be able to explore vast rainforests, check out thermal hot springs and visit the capital city, San Jose. The capital is the largest city in Costa Rica and, according do Di Leo “The trip is completely free.”
A flyer at the Costa Rica table stated that “students will be analyzing the rhetorical arguments behind environmental conservation and the burgeoning ecotourism industry.”
A second free Junior Journey trip will be heading to Costa Rica, but with a different objective in mind. Students will be working with Agua Viva Serves, a company that has been drilling wells for Los Chiles, to drill a well of their own for the community. They will also be tutoring children in English at a local school and taking a day to visit a vibrant and volcanic tourist destination.
Bryant Manning will be leading the trip and hopes to take at least 15 students along.
“I want the students to experience the life many in Costa Rica live, compare the economic and social needs of that community to their own, learn to serve the needy of this world and recognize within themselves their own potential for good in the world,” Manning said.
The second Costa Rica Junior Journey will take place May 13 through May 21, 2017.
At the showcase, students were also presented with the opportunity to travel to Belgium and The Netherlands over spring break. That trip will take students to various destinations, including the International Criminal Court, Peace Palace, and Anne Frank’s house. Van Gogh’s art museum is also on the itinerary. The museum is located in Amsterdam and displays not only Van Gogh’s many painted works, but also his personal letters and various sketches. Students will return to Florida on Mar. 11.
The Math Department is offering a trip to the cities of Venice, Florence and Rome to uncover the history and lives of many famous mathematicians. Dr. Susan Serrano, trip director, explained that students will learn about various mathematicians prior to departing to Italy. Upon returning, they will be able to write a one page paper on the experience.
A trip to Portugal seeks to determine the impact of England’s ‘Brexit’ from the European Union on the nation’s economy.
“This course will explore the culture and economics of Portugal put into the broader context of the European Union,” read the informational flyer. The trip will take students through Libson and Porto, as well as Sintra and Queluz. The Junior Journey is being hosted by FSC Economics professor Dr. Joshua D. Hall and Dr. Christopher Lanicz from Drexel University. This trip costs $2,000 to Junior Journey eligible students.
One of the most expensive trip offers at the showcase was one going to China. The trip costs $3,000 and will take place May 7 to May 20, 2017. The price covers plane tickets, food, a Chinese travel Visa, airport transport, and other travel opportunities. The trip will take students to locations within Beijing and Shaghai including the Temple of Heaven, Big Ci’en Temple and the Haungpu River Cruise. Interested students are encouraged to check out FSC China Trip 2017 May on Facebook.
Professors at each booth were more than happy to answer questions, their enthusiasm just about boiling over. Students with further questions about Junior Journey opportunities are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Student Travel.
