Baton Rouge, LA - Jason
Matthews’ first foray into a foreign country was in 2003 when he had to
withdraw as a student from Southern University to be deployed to Iraq where he was part of the U.S. military’s Operation
Iraqi Freedom.
This time he is part of a 14-person group of
Southern University students, faculty and alumni on a 9-day study abroad
program. For Matthews and others, the trip to is a dream come true.
The tour is designed to be a learning experience
for students and faculty, said leader Dr. Shenika Jones, associate professor of
criminal justice.
“I hope this inaugural trip generates interest
within the SU community so that more of us begin to see the value in
international experiences,” Jones said. “After all, that is a key part of
Southern's mission.”
“As an instructor, I believe that most learning
takes place outside of the classroom. I try to create a value-free space for my
students, one in which they can experience world learning without boundaries,”
Jones said. “International experiences provide an unchartered platform for
growth where I become a facilitator as opposed to a professor.”
The
trip is a combination of efforts by the Dr. Carlos Thomas, head of the Division
of Information Technology Office and the Department of criminal justice. They
used Education First College Study Tours to facilitate the trip, which includes
stops in London, Paris and Amsterdam.
Alberta
Robertson, an academic advisor to freshmen students, said the trip will provide
her with clearer outlook on cultures that she can share with her students.
“For
the students who go on this trip, it will be a major addition to their
resumes,” said Robertson who once worked in a company’s human resources office.
“International study and travel like this is makes a big statement when
businesses are looking at résumés.”
Gabrielle
Lewis, a criminal justice major, said she expects to “gain a new perspective of
the world and have the opportunity to embrace other cultures. I want to have a
new frame of reference and understanding of the world from a rewarding cultural
exposure.”
The
senior from Winnsboro, La., said just coming to Southern was “a big step for
someone from a small town of 1,500 people,” adding that the trip abroad “will
be life changing.”
“College
is about learning and growing,” she said, “and at Southern University I have
indeed done both. My university has done more than enough to prepare me for
this trip.”
Thomas,
who played a pivotal role in setting up the trip at a reduced cost with
Education First College Study Tours, said he saw the opportunity for traveling
“as something Southern can continue to do for its students,” adding that he
traveled overseas while in high school and “it changed my view of the world and
what I wanted to do with my life.”
This
trip was a year in the planning and execution, with Dr. Jones also assuming a
leadership role, Thomas said.
Southern
alum Shekeitra Lockhart-Matthews said while she has done extensive travel
abroad, she viewed the three stops on this trip as “surreal.”
Lockhart-Matthews,
the wife of Jason Matthews, said the stop at Oxford University and
world-renowned science museums will help her “learn the culture and educational
practices of exemplary institutions of higher learning.”
Jones
said the students will also gain a better knowledge of African culture. “Many are unaware of the African influence on the
European continent but this experience is especially geared towards
highlighting that influence and illustrating the African impact on culture,
fashion, architecture and music.”
Additionally, she said,
“our participants will be afforded the opportunity to interact
with travelers from California and Texas, as we will be joined by
groups from Las Positas College (California) and Sam Houston State
University.
This will be the first of
several such trips. Jones said planning is underway for 10-day excursion
to Italy, Greece and the Hellenic Islands in 2015.
For full
details, contact Edward Pratt or Erin Fulbright, Southern University Media
Relations at (225) 771-4545 or (225) 771-3907.
###
Contact:
Bridget
Udoh
(225)
771-5714
