2023 LBCC Study Abroad Program

 

Photo courtesy of LBCC Study Abroad Program

Summer 2023, LBCC is sponsoring three study abroad programs. Two trips are going to Europe, the UK and the Czech Republic, and another trip is going to Costa Rica. 

The programs for Costa Rica and the Czech Republic are available to students of any declared major. The program to the UK is available to students in the music program. 

The trip to Costa Rica is available to any student at LBCC. Students can choose between an intensive Spanish class, or they can take a literature class centered around Latin American writers and the role of Costa Rica bringing peace to the region.

The trip is being led by Faculty Coordinator Margarita Casas and Dean of Arts, Social Science, and Humanities Meg Roland. Roland says, “We have a theme of Peace because Costa Rica is a nation dedicated to peace and ecology.” Because of this focus former LBCC instructor Bob Ross has funded $500 of each student's airfare through his Peace Initiative.  

Students will travel to the Monteverde Institute in the town of Monteverde. Those who go will stay with host families. Students will be traveling for two weeks from June 23 to July 9.

The trip to the Czech Republic is available to any student at LBCC. Students will be participating in a World Cuisine class while on the trip. 

Department Chair of Culinary Arts Josh Green will be leading the trip. Students will be traveling to the city of Prague. They will be staying in shared apartment accommodations.

Students will be going on historic walking tours of the city, participating in traditional Czech cooking classes, visiting the St. Barbara Cathedral and the Sedlec Ossuary, and taking Guided tours of medieval mines.

 Green recommends students try traveling abroad. “I believe that the opportunity to experience and learn about other cultures through travel is something that can change a person's perspective for the better and create a more inclusive community as a whole.” 

The trip to Prague will span 12 days from July 7 - 18.   

The trip to the UK is available to students in the music program. The trip is being led by the Depart Chair of Performing Arts Raymund Ocampo. Ocampo clarifies that the program is available to “anyone who is in the music program, including non-majors. So, people taking lessons or in the ensembles.”

Ocampo says the goal of the trip is “to show our students important musical sites, interact with a musical culture different than theirs, and to explore these countries as a global citizen.”

Students who go on this trip will be traveling to the UK, Wales, and Ireland. They will be staying at hotels and visiting important musical sites and performing music. Students will be traveling for ten days from July 9 - 19. 

Costs for the trips range from $1700 to $3700 depending on the program and the number of students who participate. Program Coordinator Scott McAleer expects that there will be around ten students per trip. Financial support is available through the Gilman Scholarship for Pell Grant eligible students. 

            Applications for trips closed on March 15, but orientation for the trips don’t begin until April. Students who are still interested in going should reach out to Scott McAleer immediately at mcalees@linnbenton.edu. If students aren’t able to make it this year, McAleer is already planning for trips in 2024. Find more info at https://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life/study-abroad/index.php.