Semester at Sea experience the opportunity of a lifetime

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 17:36:52 +0000

It was an opportunity of a lifetime that Taylor Williams initially dismissed as a longshot at best. Years later, however, the timing proved perfect when the Semester at Sea program once again caught the attention of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student.

Semester at Sea is just as it sounds. Close to 600 students set sail from Belgium Sept. 9, 2023, for a semester of learning in shipboard classrooms, through field experiences and service projects. When the ship docks Dec. 22 in Thailand, Williams and his fellow passengers will have experienced 11 cities in as many countries, covering three continents, on a journey spanning 105 days.

Taylor Williams in Greece.

The excursion is made possible through the Brawn Family Foundation scholarship, which is available to ULethbridge students across all disciplines.

“This scholarship means absolutely everything to me, because I personally do not have the funds in order to be able to make something like this happen on my own,” says Williams.

Eligible participants must be a second-year undergraduate student, a Canadian resident or permanent resident and have been accepted to participate by Semester at Sea. Applicants must have successfully completed 10 courses with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and will be required to answer essay questions for consideration, focusing on how they expect their voyage will impact their education and how the experience will be translated and promoted on campus upon their return.

Williams has always loved travelling, and the fourth-year psychology student saw those opportunities smothered the last few years by restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I only have a few classes left before I finish my degree, so it was that perfect combination of school and travel that really drew me in,” he says, adding once he looked closer at the international education opportunity, he became obsessed with it. “I was like, I need to do this. This is the one thing that I want in my life right now and I’m going to do everything possible to make sure that I’m going on this trip.”

Williams was beyond nervous as he logged into an online meeting which was billed as a last chance for committee members to ask a few questions of the scholarship finalists.

Taylor Williams, with the Semester at Sea ship in the sea below.

“They told me they were playing with me, and that I actually was the recipient of the scholarship. I was at a loss for words. It was like a dream come true,” he recalls of the surprise announcement.

Williams is looking forward to the global perspective Semester at Sea offers participants, with stops at such cities as Casablanca, Barcelona and Dubai. He sees the opportunity to experience first-hand and meet people from diverse cultures, as a real benefit for a future career in psychology. A self-described “history nerd,” Williams is also excited about visiting Ho Chi Minh City, where he hopes to gain a better understanding of the Vietnam War.

The experience awaiting him would not be possible without benefit of the scholarship, and he’s extremely thankful to the Brawn Family Foundation.

“It means the world to me. It’s really, truly something amazing that they’re giving a student an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Williams.

Kelley Buckley (BA ’84) is director of the Brawn Family Foundation, as well as a Semester at Sea participant while she was attending ULethbridge.

"Our family are strong believers in the value of Semester at Sea. We have seen how life changing this program has been for our family and want to share this experience with others,” she says. “As a ULethbridge alumni, I am proud to be able to help others experience this program. Our hope is to send off a student and bring back a world ambassador. As Semester at Sea states, “let the world be your campus”.”

Williams adds he wants his story to encourage others to consider the Semester at Sea, no matter how daunting the application process might seem.

“I'm going to be completely honest. I thought there wasn’t a chance that I was going to get the scholarship. But it’s definitely worth putting your name in the hat.”

Brawn Family Foundation gift to sponsor U of L student in Semester at Sea program

trevor.kenney — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 17:41:39 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students will have the opportunity to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience thanks to the generosity of the Brawn Family Foundation and the Semester at Sea program.

Kelley Buckley, left, and her parents Carole and Robert Brawn, announced the Brawn Family Foundation gift to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Each year, the Brawn Family Foundation will provide a scholarship for one U of L student to take part in Semester at Sea. Established in 1963, Semester at Sea consists of 100-to-110-day international passenger ship voyages where students visit up to 15 countries in one semester. They learn from leading faculty and international experts, engage in hands-on field experiences and service projects at each destination and earn academic credit.

“The whole goal of our foundation is to give back and create a bigger, better community,” says Kelley Buckley (BA ’84), one of Dr. Robert Brawn’s (LLD ’16) daughters and director of the Brawn Family Foundation. “My father realized what a powerful program Semester at Sea was. Both of my kids, my sister’s kids, my sister and I have all sailed and he just felt it made a dramatic difference in our lives. As well, since four of our family are U of L alums, this was a great way to combine two programs that have impacted our lives.”

Each year, more than 2,000 participants circumnavigate the globe aboard the MV World Odyssey. Sponsored by Colorado State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the program champions a global comparative experiential learning model as it connects students to world challenges and fosters global awareness through profound international learning experiences.

For Buckley, the experience was transformative, and she attests that each family member who subsequently went to sea was similarly influenced.

“You realize how small the world really is and how impactful your footprint can be in the big picture,” she says. “It’s changed all of our lives and we just feel that everyone needs an opportunity to go outside their comfort zone and look at the big global picture and see how small the world actually is. Everything you do can make a difference.”

She describes the ripple effect of a Semester at Sea education.

“Just one student sailing and then coming back can change a handful of students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and then they change another handful and it just grows from there,” she says.

The Brawn Family Foundation scholarship will be available to students across all disciplines at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Eligible participants must be a second-year undergraduate student, a Canadian resident or permanent resident and have been accepted to participate by Semester at Sea. Applicants must have successfully completed 10 courses with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and will be required to answer essay questions for consideration, focusing on how they expect their voyage will impact their education and how the experience will be translated and promoted on campus upon their return.

Paul Pan, executive director International at the U of L, says the goals and mission of the Semester at Sea program align with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s internationalization strategy which encompasses liberal arts ideals and the strategic direction of graduating global citizens.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is committed to the internationalization of our campus,” he says. “Providing our students with educational abroad experiences such as the Semester at Sea program is vital in providing our graduates with global perspectives, international and intercultural skills and knowledge to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world.”

U of L students can now apply to be the first successful U of L Brawn Family Foundation scholarship candidate to sail with Semester at Sea. Contact the International Office at 403-329-2053 for more information.

UNews - Kelley Buckley

Semester at Sea experience the opportunity of a lifetime

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