On Thursday, January 24, 2019, Skyline College’s Global Learning Programs and Services (GLPS) Division gathered with community members at Fiddler’s Green—a traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant in Millbrae—to share in memories of their travels in Ireland last summer with the SMCCCD Community Travel Program. Russell Waldon, Dean of GLPS, Sonya Pope, Division Assistant for GLPS and Stephanie Wells, Program Service Coordinator for Study Abroad, joined with 11 members of the community to reminisce of their time on the Emerald Isle while enjoying tasty Irish fare and singing along to traditional Irish songs.
Community Travel participant Sherry Lynes brought her guitar and sheets of lyrics—including an original she wrote about their time in Ireland—and the group sang together, as they had last summer. During the gathering, all were joyfully surprised by a phone call from their tour director, Mr. Brendan Heneghan, who called from Ireland to say hello. To the group’s delight, he said that he now plays Lynes’ song on every tour he leads and that it is always a hit.
The SMCCCD Community Travel Program is a curated, small-group travel experience for lifelong learners. With the Community Travel Program, members of our community have the opportunity to travel around the world with an SMCCCD representative and local tour director as they enjoy local food, special attractions and guided sightseeing. Upcoming Community Travel Programs for 2019 include Cuba, South Africa, Ireland, Italy and Japan.
The Community Travel Program was created as a way for Skyline College to connect with the larger community of San Mateo County as well as a way to help our students live and learn in other countries. For many college students, studying abroad is a special goal of their undergraduate years. However, financially, the experience is often out of reach. With Community Travel, $500 (tax-deductible) of the registration fee goes directly into the SMCCCD Foundation for Study Abroad Scholarship Fund, helping to make transformative global opportunities more accessible for all of our students.
The Community Travel Program is part of the SMCCCD Study Abroad Program—a district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at (650) 738-7088 or ghoriz@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.
Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Sonya Pope