The OCU Doers Cultural Exchange Program is choosing 16 students to go to China this summer.
For the past three years, the program has taken students to Taiwan. The decision to go to China this year was made by officials of the Doers Foundation, said Mary Benner, director of global engagement.
The Doers Foundation is based in Taiwan and gives OCU money for students to take part in the program.
“They pay for all of the program activities while they’re there,” Benner said. “They also give us money for airfare for the students.”
The trip will take place July 14-31.
Students are required to have a 2.75 GPA and must be able to obtain a passport by Mar. 15 to attend. While there is no overall cost of the trip, students can find estimated Visa prices and fees at okcu.abroadoffice.net.
“We try to get students from across the board,” Benner said. “It’s people who want to work as part of a group, who really can talk about their ability to be adaptable to new environments and cultures and be able to be in a situation where they really have no privacy for two weeks, and they want to work with high school students.”
Because the program is being held in China this year, Benner said they aren’t sure what to expect.
“One of the reasons they have to be so adaptable is because we don’t have information yet,” she said. “I’ll have all that before they leave in July.”
In the past, OCU participants worked in tandem with college students from Taiwan to host camps for high school students. The students exercise, attend class and learn about each other’s cultures, and campers are encouraged to work on their English speaking skills.
Audrey Schultz, dance junior, attended the trip to Taiwan last year.
“I learned so much about the culture and was able to get to know the students really well,” Schultz said. “During the camp, we got to work with an aboriginal tribe and learn how they make things/hunt/live on the east coast of Taiwan.”
Schultz said the trip consists of learning new things but includes having fun as well.
“We planned classes for the campers where we got to compare cultures, talk about traditions and have fun, of course,” she said. “We also got to go on hikes, see the ocean, play games, share memories–oh, and the food was great.”
OCU students are chosen based off of their application essays and responses, then are brought in for an interview process during the week of Feb. 12-16. Applicants will then be narrowed down, and 16 students will be finally chosen by a committee made up of Benner and past faculty leaders.
To apply for the program, students can fill out the form at okcu.abroadoffice.net under “China.”
“I would encourage any student who is intrigued to go ahead and apply,” Benner said. “You don’t necessarily have to have studied abroad before or been abroad before, you don’t have to speak Mandarin, you don’t have to have worked with children. You have to have a keen interest in learning about other cultures. You have to be excited about having this somewhat mysterious, unknown adventure.”
For more information, students can contact Benner at mbenner@okcu.edu.
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