Last week, over 20 members of the San Mateo County community joined the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Study Abroad Program and College of San Mateo Art Professor Rebecca Alex for a Community Travel Art Immersion in France Program meet-and-greet. This event allowed community members registered for the SMCCCD Community Travel Art Immersion in France Program to get to know each other and prepare for their one month stay in France this coming summer. Participants enjoyed hors d’oeuvres while they discussed their itinerary, accommodations, packing and engaged in travel-related icebreakers.
The SMCCCD Community Travel Program is a curated group travel experience for adults and life-long learners. Participants travel with an SMCCCD representative and local tour manager as they enjoy local food, special attractions, guided sightseeing and in the case of the Art Immersion in France Program—lectures with local art historians, visits to art museums and guided time for painting and drawing.
The France Community Travel Program is currently full with 25 registered participants and open for a waitlist. Space is still available in the SMCCCD Community Travel Cultural Gems of Japan Program, a 10 day tour of Japan this October, including visits to Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.
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 to help our students live and learn in other countries. For many college students, study abroad is a special goal of their undergraduate years; however, financially, the experience is often out of reach. With the Community Travel Program, $500 (tax-deductible) of each participant’s registration fee goes directly into the SMCCCD Foundation for Study Abroad Scholarship Fund, helping to make transformative global opportunities more accessible for 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 SMCCCD Study Abroad and Community Travel Program opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu or (650) 738-7088 or Stephanie Wells at wellss@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.
Article and Photo by Stephanie Wells
