Nicholas Ruxton, ‘Doah Contributing Writer
September 4, 2013

‘Doah photo courtesy of Nicholas Ruxton.
One of the 2011 GCP groups in Australia.

If you are like me, you are a college kid with little money and an urge to travel the world. Here at Shenandoah University there is a program called the Global Citizenship Project, which is a way for students, faculty and staff to travel to a random country for free during spring break.

Every spring break, around 55 people are selected to go on one of five different trips. The trips are led by a faculty or staff member who is familiar with the country, so you don’t have to worry about what you will do once you are in the country.

I was granted the opportunity to be selected my freshman year to travel with the GCP. I got to travel to Australia with the dean of the Conservatory, a vice president, two trustees and 11 other people from the university.

At first I was very nervous about the trip and those who were in my group, but by the end I felt like I had added 15 new people to my family.

We stayed busy while over there, we visited with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, toured the Sydney Oprah House, went to a wildlife sanctuary where we played with kangaroos and other wildlife, and plenty of other fun activities.

You may think that there is a catch to this program, but there really is not. All you have to do is write a one-page essay stating why you would like to go, and how you would give back to the university if you were chosen.

This was a once in a lifetime chance that I will never forget, and I urge everyone to apply. Do not miss out on a free trip to a wonderful country!

Applications for GCP 2014 are due at 12 p.m. on Sept. 16.