A Broader Perspective

For many college students, May signifies the completion of the spring semester, graduation, or moving another step closer to earning their degree. However, for six students in the Donnelly College Study Away Club, the end of the 2024 spring semester was not only an ending but also a new opportunity to build community and study outside of the typical classroom environment.

Donnelly’s Study Away Club encourages students to see and experience new places, people and cultures. Each year, students have opportunities to travel, learn, and participate in service learning both in the United States and abroad. In recent years, Study Away students have visited Costa Rica, Cuba, Chicago, Memphis and Washington D.C.

Three Donnelly faculty and staff accompanied this semester’s six student travelers. After arriving in Mexico City on May 20, 2024, the group enjoyed a week of cultural exploration, learning and community service. Study Away Club Advisor and Director of Humanities, Gretchen Moffet, planned the trip with Saint Christopher Journeys – a provider of educational travel that focuses on justice through a Catholic perspective. LaSalle University in Mexico City provided the educational programming. Highlights of the trip included visiting the Teotihuacan pyramids, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Museum of Anthropology, the American Chamber of Commerce, Chapultepec Castle and Mexico City’s historic town center and cathedral. The Donnelly group also served at a refugee center and an orphanage.

Donnelly’s Study Away program is a great example of how Donnelly students can combine a holistic education with opportunities to immerse themselves in another culture. Thank you to those who helped this year’s Study Away group by supporting their various fundraisers throughout the year. A special thanks to the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica for providing scholarships to the Study Away students.

“Traveling in a Study Abroad Program alongside going to La Salle University was extremely life-changing. Growing up in a Mexican household has allowed me to want to venture out to know more about my roots, and this trip helped me realize and see how beautiful the culture truly is. We learned a lot about the political and business sides of Mexico and for anyone who is in a business/political science career path should definitely come to La Salle and have their own proper experience and cultural acknowledgment during this trip.” 

~ Anonymous Study Away Student