Students and faculty showcased a collection of photographs from the wilderness, nature and abroad trips this summer on Sept. 23. The beauty of the images was reflected in the smiles of attendees and in the air of inspiration that drove the photo show.
“I was really moved by the whole thing,” said senior Christine Allen. “All three trips make me want to travel.”
The show praised the value of experiential education on several summer trips, stressing the importance of travel in order to learn profoundly. Students joined Associate Professor of English Jim Hood, Instructor of art Maia Dery, Assistant Professor of political science Kyle Dell, Assistant Professor of geology Angie Moore, and Assistant Professor of religious studies Eric Mortensen on trips to the Canadian wilderness, Ecuador and the Galapagos, and Tibet this summer. Photographs from each of these trips formed a diverse and incredible collection.
“It was probably the most fabulous teaching experience I’ve ever had because it Combined really interesting and rigorous intellectual engagement with a completely (wonderful) experience,” said Hood, co-leader of the Canadian wilderness trip.
The professors and group leaders found the experience just as enriching as the students. Students could tell how excited the professors were.
“They’re doing what they love, not to look good or anything. They’re passionate about teaching kids,” said senior Carl Simon.
“I get a lot of energy from student’s enthusiasm, and so it’s really nice to see that as evidence in these photographs,” Dery said, “You can really tell they were engaged with their surroundings.”
“Basically this is the brainchild, and would never have happened if it weren’t for Maia,” Mortensen said. “She’s the one who lit the fire and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ She has the eye. She juxtaposed the different trips in a certain blend, so it’s not sectioned off.”
“I think the idea here is that there’s more than just study abroad – there’s also experiential learning. They’re going to go this summer to California, to do a project similar to the one in Ontario. That’s not abroad but it’s a place that is different from here.”
“We’ve had a hundred people here. It’s a big success thanks to Maia, and to Miriam. (Miriam) is the center of the complex mechanism of gears that makes Study Abroad possible at Guilford,” Mortensen continued.
Miriam Collins is the assistant director for study abroad, and her expertise and knowledge did more than just grease the gears that made the trips work. Many trip leaders acknowledged and thanked her as a resource for their travels, and she was publicly thanked at the showing. Students were able to talk to her during the entire show about study abroad programs and get information about what Guilford has to offer.
The pictures speak for themselves, and there is no way to describe just how they captured the experience of learning. To see a Tibetan man draped with ornate and traditional clothes gaze down at his cell phone is an image one might not expect to find outside the pages of a National Geographic magazine. The images throughout the show are remarkable.
“Reality does something that pictures can’t do, and pictures do something that reality can’t do,” said junior Joshua Shelton.
Shelton, accompanied by fellow junior William McKindley-Ward, played guitar and sang throughout the whole reception, adding a dynamic and soulful aural ingredient to the experience.
While the show both celebrated and evidenced the wonder and absolute value of experiential learning, the images must be seen to be believed. The show will remain in place until Oct. 25 in the Gallery on the second floor of Founders Hall.