SWCC students take trip to Italy

CEDAR BLUFF, Va. (WVVA) -Students from Southwest Virginia Community College traveled over four thousand miles away to take a tour of Italy. Many of the students who travelled to Italy were from Southwest’s arts program, including those in dance, theater, and culinary arts. The 42 students toured the sights in Florence, Venice, and Rome. Ryan Brown, a nursing sophomore who first heard about the trip from a friend, says he’s glad he made the journey.

“...It was an amazing trip. We had great food, great tour guides up there. It was a beautiful sight. It just did not feel real,” says Brown.

Students say they had a good time, but organizers point to the learning experience abroad, as they were able to learn about another culture – no textbook required.

“I love the experience through the students’ eyes. It was so great to just see them embrace other people, embrace cultures, to try to learn a new language, only with being there a short amount of time, and just really expand their worldview,” says April Quesenberry, the chaperone for the honors students.

The trip was initially planned for 2020 but the pandemic delayed the Italian excursion. They hope to make annual trip, with Paris as the next possible destination.

You don’t have to be a student at Southwest to go with them on these trips. If you are interested in joining them, contact Morgan Gilbert, Director of the School of the Arts at Southwest. If you are a high school honors senior interested in the honors program and a scholarship to study abroad, contact April Quesenberry. Their information can be found on Southwest’s website.