Four Trevecca students to study abroad in Oxford, England, this summer
Four Trevecca undergraduate students will get a chance to study in Oxford, England, this summer through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities’ (CCCU) BestSemester Program.
Juniors Lily Thomas and Torri Frye along with sophomores Grace Mendez and Anna Turpin will spend nearly a month examining the work of some of their favorite writers, learning about Christian tradition and exploring the city of Oxford and surrounding areas. The students will study at Oxford University in England from June 13 to July 14.
It’s an opportunity Mendez, a worship arts major pursuing a minor in creative writing, never dreamed would be available to her—especially since English isn’t her first language.
“I’m a little shocked, actually,” said Mendez, a worship arts major pursuing a minor in creative writing. “For someone from my background, this just doesn’t happen, these great opportunities are something you never dream of. And I got to do it through Trevecca. When I got accepted, my mom, my dad—we all celebrated.”
Designed to extend the educational mission of CCCU member colleges and universities, the BestSemester program currently offers 10 off-campus and study abroad opportunities. These range from spending a semester studying film in Los Angeles to exploring history in the Middle East or studying poverty in Uganda.
For Turpin, the summer semester offers a chance to learn in the same place some of her favorite authors once studied.
“I've been to England before, but I've never explored Oxford,” she said. “I knew some of the history of the city, and its association with authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. To study where they studied and explore the city where they lived had always been a dream of mine.”
Frye, an English major, is equally excited by the opportunity to follow in many of her favorite authors’ footsteps.
“I will be studying and working where C.S. Lewis studied and worked,” Frye said. “I’ll be walking the halls that Oscar Wilde walked as he was writing [The Picture of] Dorian Gray. I’ll be all the places that the authors were. I feel like I’ll be able to connect with them on an even deeper level because I will be in their element and in their world.”
Some of the CCCU’s BestSemester programs last an entire semester, while others—like the Oxford Summer Programme—last only a few weeks.
But that doesn’t mean the students won’t be busy.
They’ll take two seminar classes during the program, selecting from courses devoted to the works of C.S. Lewis and Jane Austen to exploring topics such as science and the Christianity and the role of faith and reason during the Enlightenment. Every participant will take part in a lecture series that explores the history of Christian tradition in the British Isles, which includes several field trips.
The students will also participate in a key component of Oxford’s educational philosophy: the tutorial. These are one-on-one meetings between the students and their seminar leaders, during which the student will develop, discuss and defend an essay related to the seminar topic.
While the idea of a tutorial a little daunting to the students right now, they say they’re excited and ready for the challenge.
“I’m excited about the creative writing seminar and meeting with tutors,” Mendez said. “The tutorial will allow me to get constant feedback. I love that because it takes off the pressure a little bit.”
To take part in any BestSemester program, students must apply. For the Oxford Summer Programme, that process included writing an essay as well as obtaining faculty and character references, among other things. Each Trevecca student submitted their application during the Fall 2017 semester, then learned they’d been accepted a few weeks later.
While Frye, Mendez, Thomas and Turpin aren’t the first Trevecca students to take advantage of the BestSemester summer program, they are the largest group Trevecca has ever sent at once.
“We've only ever had one student at a time do the Oxford program, so I'm super excited that we have four taking a chance on it,” said Rebecca Merrick, the international student adviser and assistant coordinator of disability services at Trevecca. She also coordinates Trevecca’s study abroad opportunities and guided the students through the application process.
Thomas says she didn’t think studying abroad would really be an option for her but applied after her mother encouraged her to take advantage of the opportunity.
“I love reading. I love writing, and I love traveling. So, all of those combined has been something I have been looking to do for a long time,” Thomas, an English major, said. “My mom was actually the one who asked me if I wanted to study abroad, and I hadn’t really thought about it. When I looked at the program and it was, ‘Come to Oxford for a month and read these incredible works by these awesome authors, and we’ll teach you how to really analyze them. In England.’ How could you pass that up?”
Merrick hopes the chance to study outside the United States will help the students to broaden their worldview and help to advance the educational experience of all Trevecca students.
“Studying abroad broadens students’ global perspective,” Merrick said. “They’ll get to come back here next semester and share their knowledge. I’m hoping they’ll have a really different experience in the classroom or outside the classroom that will help frame a different global perspective than if they’d never studied outside the United States.”
The students are responsible for paying the tuition, room and board and travel expenses for the trip. Most have started GoFundMe accounts and other fundraising drives to help offset the cost. Learn more or give at the links listed below.
Mendez is also selling T-shirts for $20 each to help fund her trip. Learn more by contacting her on Instagram (@graceleemendez) or by phone 787-400-0435.
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695