Over spring break, WCU’s Academic Success Program (ASP) Abroad program brought former participants to Europe to gain experience from culture, history, and service. The program took them to the Czech Republic, Budapest and Vienna.
The students explored the cities, learned about different cultures, and participated in a variety of activities.
One part of the trip was the community service project in which the students helped prepare the Budapest Bike Maffia, a Hungarian civil organization’s farm for an upcoming vegetable garden and did other manual work for that assists in feeding. Students say the experience was both rewarding and educational by gaining a deeper understanding of the local community and culture.
In addition to the community service project, the students also had the opportunity to take a classic Viennese Waltz lesson, a unique way to experience the local culture. The participants went sightseeing at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the most iconic landmarks in Vienna.
The students were given ample free time to explore the cities on their own and were able to make the most of their experience by trying new foods, sight-seeing, and participating in the vibrant city life.
Ethan Branton, a second-year student studying Pre-Nursing and Spanish, believes this trip was a one-in-a-million.
“I really like the perspective of going and experiencing different cultures and interacting with different people,” Branton said. “It will be very beneficial in my career when working with people from different backgrounds.”
The ASP Abroad gives students the opportunity to receive educational lessons which they can apply to their field of study, gaining real-life experience before graduation.
Emmy Mae Speakman, a junior double-majoring in English Literature and Musical Theater, wondered how she would be able to connect what she learns to her line of study before the trip. Once there, however, she was exposed to elements of life that she could identify with.
“I was able to get the bigger picture and gain things academically; to get a better sense of the flow of culture and the differences between there and here,” Speakman said. “I leave these trips socially aware and feeling enriched hearing three different histories.”
The ASP is a pathway that requires first-year students to complete a five-week academic program during the summer before their first year. This program promotes success in a normal semester and ensures students’ transition to WCU through academic classes.
ASP Coordinator, Carson Williams, works with students throughout their careers at WCU to support them in their goals towards graduation.
“Our goal in taking trips like this is to allow students to gain valuable experience that makes them more mature and global learners, Catamounts, and eventually leaders in society,” Williams said.
With the support of the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Success, William Mountrie, the university allocated funds which subsidized a notable amount of the trip. This gives the students involved in the program the chance to travel abroad, regardless of financial status.
Programs like these support WCU students by allowing them the unique opportunities to see the world and study its history and cultures, even if they cannot spend a full semester abroad.
“I wouldn’t have gone on any of the trips without the school,” Branton said. “It would probably take me years of saving to afford a trip like this.”
The Academic Success Program is one of several Summer Bridge Programs that the University offers. While these programs used to be under WCU’s Mentoring and Persistence to Success, they are now their own pathways under student retention. ASP is a pathway that requires first-year students to complete a five-week academic program during the summer before their first year. This program promotes success in a normal semester and ensures students’ transition to WCU through academic classes.
