LIZ LEVEY
‘DOAH STAFF WRITER
What in the world is the Global Citizenship Project? The Global Citizenship Project is a once in a lifetime all expenses paid travel abroad experience. This opportunity was designed to send members of the S.U. community on university-funded trips abroad during spring break. It is geared towards those who have had limited travel opportunities.
The Global Citizenship Project (GCP) was established in 2005, and the application is open to all full-time members of the S.U. community. Five groups for five destinations are selected and are limited for 10 to 12 participants to make the experience more personal. These groups are composed to represent the diversity of Shenandoah, everyone from faculty, staff, administrators, undergraduate, and graduate students. The program utilizes a group oriented and faculty led approach. The catch of the process is that applicants must sign
on without prior knowledge of the destination of where they are going. Senior, Alex Shlom, who traveled to Albania, waited two years to apply to the program. “It’s such a selective program; the odds of not getting in are pretty high. But then I realized that not applying had worse odds than trying and not getting selected.” The only way to apply for the GCP program is to write a one-page essay along with filling out an application.
The essay prompt for this year is: What personal and/or professional interest compels you to apply for participation in the Global Citizenship Project? How do you envision sharing your experience with others once you return to Shenandoah University the following year? Assistant Director of Student Engagement for Recreation and Fitness programs, Kyle Farrell, who is a graduate student in the Masters in Business Administration program says this about writing your essay. “Get creative with your essay; it will separate you from everyone else. Just be personal and show why you’re a good candidate to go.” GCP groups have traveled to locations across six continents, including Costa Rica, Peru, Mali, India, Taiwan, Oman, Denmark, Romania, Australia, Vietnam, Morocco and Burma. Participants share their international experi- ences with the rest of the com- munity upon return. This trip isn’t about just traveling for free. It’s about going on a journey unlike any other. You could end up trav- eling to a country you have never heard of, for example sophomore, Brooke Bukowski, traveled to South Korea “When they called out South Korea I was shocked! It is honestly a country I never would have chosen for myself, but that is what made it even better.”
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