I am so happy that I am officially done with school, and I can’t wait to hop on the plane with some of my closest friends and head to China with them!
Everyone has been asking me when I’m leaving for home, and each time I explain that I’m not going home just yet, I’m taking a trip out of the country with the Benton Scholars Program.
Benton Scholars is a global leadership program that is intended to sharpen the liberal arts experience so that we are ready to take on a world that is increasingly globalized.
Part of the program is attending a trip during the first year, which is a chance for us to apply in the real world what we’ve learned in our First-Year Seminar and our other courses.
As a class, the 2014 Bentons were required to take a history course — Modern East Asia — in anticipation of our trip.
I’m excited to see how the information we gained in class will apply to the location itself, and to see how much of what’s in the textbooks is seen in China today.
In any case, we will be leaving early Sunday from JFK. We will be there two weeks, getting back on May 23.
There are about 17 Benton scholars in the Class of 2014, and all of us are going on the trip. We also will meet up with college students in China, who will take us around.
The trip is essentially going to be geared toward extensive educational tours and sightseeing with Professor David Robinson, who taught the Modern East Asia course.
I will be sure to keep everyone updated through this blog. So stay tuned for more from China itself!