A Round Square Adventure

Seven Hackley students and three chaperones departed for England on Sept. 18 to attend the 2022 Round Square International Conference beginning in Oxford and continuing on the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales. The group completed the trip with a three-day stay in London. Upon their return, the students completed written reflections about key takeaways and their time overseas; those reflections are shared here.

The international trip was part of Hackley’s Global Education program. Hackley has been a member of Round Square—a consortium of more than 200 global independent schools that share a commitment to discovering the world and making a difference— for more than a decade. The initiatives of the Global Education program at Hackley are supported by the School’s strategic plan—Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries —deepening the focus on creating culturally immersive travel experiences in an effort to promote empathy, wonder, and global citizenship.

The theme of this year’s Round Square conference was “ Take Less, Be More,” and it focused on sustainability and responsible use of resources. Students engaged in many activities, listened to guest speakers, and worked in groups with others from around the world.

“It was my great hope that students would dive into learning, make friends, and push themselves outside of their comfort zone during the trip. Every day, we had to challenge ourselves to meet new people, share personal opinions, and take on new adventures,” shared Merideth Maddox, K-12 Round Square Coordinator.

“I was thrilled to see our Hackley students lean in without hesitation. The chaperones and I saw the students in many different environments: they sampled foods made with crickets, took in museums, created a sustainable business plan, navigated the Underground, and did palm readings.

Our trip was full of singing as the students belted out ‘Dancing Queen’ on our evening cruise on the Thames, sang along to a ‘London’ Spotify playlist while on the bus, and walked arm-in-arm during our last night belting out songs from the show ‘Six’ after we saw the performance together. When we arrived home, we were exhausted, but also transformed and renewed, singing the praises of our experience.”

The 2022 Round Square International Conference was truly a life-changing experience, and I could not be more grateful to Hackley for the opportunity the school provided. There were many once-in-a-lifetime moments during the trip, ranging from staying in historic Oxford, to camping on the Welsh coast—we tried to do it all. However, the most influential and incredible part of the international trip was the ability to interact with students from countries all around the world, such as South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Kenya, Switzerland, Germany, India, and more. I have been fortunate in my life to have traveled internationally before, but the ability to work with students from such diverse backgrounds was eye-opening and inspiring.

While in Oxford, students were broken into groups of about 12 and had conversations on a myriad of topics, such as what school life was like for students from other countries and more complex topics like how to decrease microplastics in our oceans and what renewable energy sources people should use in the future. Hearing the differing opinions of students from around the world who challenged each other’s viewpoints enabled us to come out of the discussions with impactful global solutions instead of solely national ones. For example, when we discussed how countries could be more sustainable, students from India made the point that it is easy for the United States to say that other countries should stop using large amounts of fossil fuels. The U.S. is a developed country where we no longer need to rely solely on this source of energy. When our country was in its developmental stages, we used an extreme amount of fossil fuels, and now, as other countries in the world are improving, they need to use fossil fuels as well because they are not able to depend only on renewable energy. I had never considered the idea that other countries are more dependent on fossil fuels than the United States, but clearly I should have.

Conversations like this one brought into question previous viewpoints that I—and many others—had, enabling us to come up with better solutions and discussion points. In my opinion, this demonstrates the possibilities that can arise from international student discussions.

Another example of the types of activities we accomplished at the conference is the scavenger hunt that we participated in (pictured). While it was not the most mentally challenging or thought-provoking experience of the trip, it still stands out in my mind. I cannot express how life-changing it is to work with students from all around the world, and this was perfectly showcased during the scavenger hunt in Oxford. We all worked together as a team, forgetting the differences between us and instead focusing on commonalities while still having fun. In the picture, you can see my discussion group of students from seven countries, who, while very different, were able to work together to accomplish our goal.

I think that the United States at the moment is extremely divided, along with there being many prejudices between people of differing countries. This trip highlighted for me that while we might not always agree with others, working with them instead of disagreeing with a closed mind really does lead to a much more superior and diverse outcome, bettering our world. I think many students realized on this trip that it is much more important to focus on the similarities between people rather than the differences that divide us, which hinder our ability to move forward as global citizens.

Finally, I would like to share one last way the conference has influenced me and changed the way I think. For the last couple of years, I have developed a strong passion for finance through studying stock markets. Before going on this trip I thought that I solely wanted to work in finance in the United States and had never really considered the idea of how I might work globally. By attending the Round Square conference and working with diverse people, I have realized that not only do I want to study finance, but I also want to think about it through a lens of international business and sustainable practices. I’m sure that my passions are not necessarily the same as all the students on the trip, but I am certain that all of us are now thinking differently about what we want to study in college and further pursue because of our experiences from the conference. I cannot express enough how transformative this experience is, and I urge anyone who has the opportunity to apply to the next Round Square conference to do so. I guarantee you will feel the same way I do now—I wish it would have never ended.

Phoebe Abrahms ’24

The 2022 Round Square International Conference was an extraordinary opportunity. I enjoyed many parts of it, but perhaps the most memorable aspect was meeting people from all around the world and creating strong bonds throughout the course of the conference. When we first arrived in Oxford at the start of the conference, we were showered right away with the warmth of our fellow delegates, who were as eager to forge new friendships as we were. After a traditional English tea on that first day, we ventured out with a small group to explore the quaint city of Oxford. As we walked, we met more students who were a part of the conference, and our group continued to grow. Pictured here is the group we were with in front of Oxford’s iconic Radcliffe Camera.

This moment on the first day of the trip was just the beginning of so many new friendships and is a great example of how everywhere we went, the delegates were eager to meet and engage with new people. Many of the people in this group stayed in the same college as us in Oxford, Balliol College, during the conference and proceeded to go to Wales with us. Because of this, I became even closer to people in this photo than I was on that first day. Outside of our structured “baraza” conversations during the conference, I spoke with these people on a variety of topics, ranging from our school calendars to our social lives to talking about bigger issues like sustainability and political institutions. Because of the meaningful time I spent with the extraordinary people in this photo, and many others who I would later meet on the trip, I have incredible memories to last a lifetime, and I have a greater wealth of knowledge about different cultures and nations.