Spring Travel

New York & Washington, D.C.

Led by Honors assistant dean Jessica Hunt and Dr. Andrew Owsiak of the School for Public and International Affairs, first-year Foundation Fellows explored two of the nation’s most important cities. Highlights of the trip included a discussion with CNN commentator Paul Begala and visits with UGA alumni working in cybersecurity, public health, medicine, finance, law and politics, sustainability, media, and the arts. UGA Foundation emeritus trustee Susan Waltman, senior vice president and general counsel at the Greater New York Hospital Association, and Foundation Fellow alumna Samia McEachin hosted us at GNYHA for a conversation about the role of data management in the city’s emergency preparedness initiatives. Three UGA Grady College alumni provided a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing some of the most watched news programs in the country. Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville invited students into the studio for the taping of the day’s show and discussed both the nuts and bolts of media production and the role of media in the 21st century. Robin Hommel, executive broadcast producer of The View, hosted students for an episode that included Whoopi Goldberg’s interviews with Kristin Chenoweth and Matt Damon. Kevin Schatell, associate plaza producer at The Today Show, talked about what it was like to win an Emmy before the age of 30.

Spring Travel

Greece

Designed by Dr. David Williams, former associate provost and Honors dean, and led by Honors staff Colleen Pruitt and Kavi Pandian, this Fellows trip explored the history, philosophy, art, and architecture of ancient Greece. Alongside reading Bettany Hughes’s The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life—visits to the Tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae and the Temple of Apollo at Delphi brought tales of the Trojan War and ancient Greek mythology to life, while tours of the Parthenon, Acropolis Museum, and National Archaeological Museum highlighted the cultural and artistic development of Greece over the millennia. A closing day trip to the island of Hydra gave students a chance to explore Greece’s natural beauty and learn about one of its oldest and most reliable forms of transportation—donkeys!

Colombia

Led by Professor Tim Samples of the Terry College of Business and Honors assistant dean Maria de Rocher, Fellows explored the political economy, history, urban development, and geography of Colombia. From Bogotá to Medellín to Cartagena—on bikes, on buses, on foot, on catamaran—students explored the three cities and their surrounding environs. They visited Monserrate in Bogotá and hiked to waterfalls in the mountains outside the city; toured La Nueva Comuna 13 in Medellín to learn about the neighborhood’s revitalization, and explored Cartagena’s colonial past within its Walled City, a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes Plaza de la Aduana, where over a million enslaved people were once trafficked, and Palacio de la Inquisición, seat of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Led by Dr. Hyangsoon Yi of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Honors communications coordinator Stephanie Schupska, Fellows explored Buddhist history and practice in Thailand as well as traditional Thai cuisine. Through visits to Thai landmarks and temples—including Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) in Bangkok and the Summer Palace and temples including Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Mahathat, and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya—they engaged with the country’s religious and cultural traditions. They rounded out their trip with visits to Koh Larn (Coral Island), one of Pattaya’s stunning coastal destinations; Khao Chi Chan (Buddha Mountain); and the Grand Palace in Bangkok, a complex of buildings that have been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782.

Morocco

Led by Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Honors staff Emily Ramsey, Fellows explored the religion, culture, history, and landscape of Morocco. They visited the medina in Marrakech, Agalmous and a 14th century Berber granary in the High Atlas Mountains, a madrasa and mosque under restoration outside Tinghir, a library in Tamegroute containing over 4,000 illuminated manuscripts dating back to the earliest days of Islam, a small Jewish synagogue in the old town of Zagora, and the ksar of Aït-Ben-Haddou, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They also discussed local initiatives with NGO community leaders, camped overnight in the Sahara Desert, and met with the caretakers of the Sufi zawiya in Tamegroute. One of the highlights of the trip was being invited to attend a roundtable lecture at Qasi Ayad University, after which students were interviewed for a local news broadcast.

San Francisco

Led by Honors dean Meg Amstutz and Honors director of development Debbie Daniel, Ramsey Scholars visited San Francisco, Sausalito, and Palo Alto to connect with alumni and opportunities in the Bay Area. After a whirlwind food tour of the city, they spent a day in Muir Woods and engaged with John Muir’s timeless works about the connection between humans and nature. To close out the trip, they visited Stanford University and met with administrators from the business school and the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program as well as UGA alumni currently studying at Stanford.