"To learn about the origins of the Games while walking the very grounds where they were played millennia ago was truly the experience of a lifetime."
Getting to fulfill a global core requirement halfway across the globe was such a dream come true, and I could never have done it without the support of the Global Learning Scholarship.
I didn’t know anything about the Olympic Games before heading to Athens, Greece to participate in the Ancient and Modern Olympics Program, and it was eye-opening in every imaginable way. To learn about the origins of the Games while walking the very grounds where they were played millennia ago was truly the experience of a lifetime. As a Cognitive Science major, I’m not especially well-versed in classical texts, and this course exposed me to numerous important classic texts in a deeply engaging way that really sparked my desire to read and learn more. Both of our professors were incredible; their expertise, supportiveness, and enthusiasm truly made this experience the best that it could possibly be. One of them is Greek, and watching her translate ancient inscriptions on various ruins for us was mind-blowing! The course was very interdisciplinary which allowed me to see how intricately different aspects of society interact with and influence each other in a more robust way than I’d ever academically experienced before. And getting to spend a month studying in another country makes me feel like pursuing grad school in Europe is a realistic possibility, rather than an unreachable fantasy. I will be forever grateful to the Global Learning Scholarship for enabling me to have an experience that not only meaningfully expanded my view of the world, but also significantly widened my view of my own future prospects—it’s a gift that will last well beyond my few amazing weeks in Athens.
Term:
Summer
