Preparing for the trip of a lifetime

It's hard to believe how fast summer is already flying by! A 1,500 mile journey home and short stint of working on the family farm has flown by. On June 14th, two of my best friends and I will fly to the Bahamas to begin the trip of a lifetime. James Walls, Trevor White and myself are participating in a program called Semester at Sea where we will sail across the Atlantic with 750 other college students to study for the summer. We will be stopping at several ports once we reach the Mediterranean and should visit 7 countries in all. I know it probably sounds like 750 college students on a cruise ship would be trouble waiting to happen. While we will certainly enjoy the trip, the program is run by the University of Virginia and will be heavily focused on academics. We will take classes while we are sailing and then be able to explore/participate in class projects at each different port.

All of us are signed up to take 9 credit hours. We are all required to take a Global Studies course which transfers as a Art History class. The other two classes I am signed up for are political science classes titled "Freedom of Speech and Religion" and "Politics and Poverty." I was also fortunate to earn a job working for the Administrative Office on the ship during our voyage which I am very excited about.

As I begin packing and preparing for my trip, I can't help but think how blessed I am to have this opportunity to travel the world with two of my best friends. I am truly thankful for the support my parents, sister, family and friends have given me as well as Texas Tech University. I look forward to sharing all of our photos and experiences and wish I could take each one of you along!

The past couple years education has been one of my top priorities. I see this trip as a tremendous opportunity to learn more about the world and my place in it. I love learning about the roles government and religion have played in history and what role they play today. While I know I will never have all the answers, my ultimate goal is to live out the life I believe in. Right now, I believe that is solidifying my values and beliefs concerning what the roles of government and religion in society should be among other things. I can't wait for the adventure to begin :)