During a week in Salzburg, Austria, a group of DCCCD student leaders explored the challenges of globalization and enjoyed experiencing another culture first hand.
Contact: Debra Dennis
214-378-1851
For immediate release — Aug. 5, 2016
(DALLAS) — Eleven student leaders from the Dallas County Community College District are now students of the world.
The DCCCD group got a chance to expand their international knowledge with a trip to Salzburg, Austria; during their one-week visit in May, students from each of the seven colleges in the system toured and experienced the storied city.
A Trip With Purpose
DCCCD’s global economic development department — which is part of the workforce and economic development division of the district — sent the students to workshops that were designed to help them develop their roles as well-rounded students on their campuses, in their communities and for their future endeavors.
The trip was sponsored by the Global Citizenship Alliance Student Seminar (GCA); it marks the first time DCCCD has sent students to the GCA seminar, which is an intensive workshop that helps students to think critically about their role as world citizens. The program helps students examine challenges brought about by globalization, plus the financial and cultural interactions among countries.
“Students gain an understanding of the conceptual challenges around global citizenship and peace, with a focus on cross-disciplinary problem solving of real-world political, economic, social and cultural problems,” said Anita Gordy-Watkins, DCCCD’s vice chancellor of global and economic development.
Members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society were asked to apply. To qualify, students had to be 18, U.S. citizens and committed to attend DCCCD for the fall 2016 semester.
In July, nine DCCCD staff members visited Potsdam, Germany — home of Prussian kings and queens that is known for its palaces and parks — where they participated in an intensive workshop that allowed them to translate concepts and ideas into their area of teaching. This educational program also was offered by the district’s global economic development department
The Learning Experience of a Lifetime
The food, culture and picturesque views of Europe were exciting for Enoc Chicas, a sophomore nursing student at Brookhaven College. “DCCCD gave me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Chicas said. “Now it is time for me to deliberate results, serve and inspire others. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Salzburg.”
Chicas, who hopes a nursing career helps him to expand his travels, found Salzburg vibrant, uplifting and educational. Travelling to Europe, he said, is a stepping stone to global citizenship. “I enjoy meeting people and making new friends,” said Chicas, who has visited El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Mexico but had not traveled to Europe.
“I want to do something with this. I want to be able to encourage other students to try harder,” he said. “I was fortunate to be able to go there. I want to give something back, but I don’t know (what). I want to be able to share my experiences with others in the community.
Student Enoc Chicas found a visit to Dachau Concentration Camp "haunting."
“I have a different perspective on things. I got a chance to explore and learn more about global concerns. I’m going to be able to incorporate that into my career and my everyday life. I want to become a family practitioner and travel to help other countries,” he said.
The students enjoyed a concert, food and tours of Germany. One of those trips included visiting a former concentration camp. Chicas said he found the experience “haunting.”
He loved Salzburg with its bustling markets and easily navigable streets. He brought back souvenirs and a cache of photographs to share with family, classmates and friends. Classroom studies, he said, are no substitute for real-life experience.
Picturesque Salzburg
Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, its most celebrated son. DCCCD students arrived in time to witness the celebration of Salzburg’s bicentennial. They hummed songs from the Oscar-winning movie “The Sound of Music” after visiting Schloss Leopoldskron, the ornate palace where the film about the von Trapp family was made.
Jaimi Singleton, a veterinary technician major, said the trip marked her first overseas venture. The Cedar Valley student said she found the country beautiful and was pleasantly surprised that the language barrier was barely noticeable.
“It was peaceful. That’s the best way to describe it,” Singleton said. “Everyone was friendly and understood everything. I was able to get around in a taxi, and everyone understood. The food was great.” She found the trip eye-opening because of the exposure she experienced to people from other cultures and a partnership she hopes will endure.
“I think this is going to help me as I travel. I plan to see more things. You learn to interact. You learn to have a broader perspective,” added Singleton.
William De La Cruz, who also attends Brookhaven, said Austria offered him a chance to interact with people from another culture and hear their views. The trip promoted his status as a student of the world.
“I was not sure what to expect. I just went there with an open mind,” De La Cruz said of his first trip to Europe. “If given the chance to attend another seminar like this, I would not hesitate. I would go again in a heartbeat.”
Martha Hughes, an advisor who accompanied the students, said the excursion allowed students to overcome class and social barriers.
“They talked about the globalized world we live in,” said Hughes, who is vice president of academic affairs at North Lake College. “Our speakers really were attempting to help us understand global issues, like refugees. They talked about Islamophobia. And they talked about us and our gun culture. We’re all here to learn and make this a better place.”
Hughes praised the students for participating and expanding their world view as they soaked up the city’s museums, music, food, exhibitions and customs. “I think, for some of them, travel itself is an experience. There were a number of students who never had a chance to do anything like this. We give opportunities to students who might not otherwise see this,” Hughes said.
For more information about the program, contact Megan Harris in the DCCCD global economic development office at
meganharris@dcccd.edu.
# # #