Leaving the country is often an opportunity that most students or staff never get the opportunity to do, but the English Department is leading a faculty-led trip to London from May 20-29, 2025.
“I am very excited about this,” Assistant Professor of Practice in English Melanie Ritzenthaler said. “The English Department has not gone on a trip like this in a long time. There’s a lot of excitement. It’s an English-speaking country. It’s somewhat familiar for us, so students will feel comfortable traveling and exploring.”
The trip is open to all students, including ones who graduated in both the fall and spring semesters. There also exists a $1,000 scholarship credit for any student who reaches a sophomore standing in credits to help pay for the trip. The trip will consist of sightseeing the most iconic structures of London and visiting the British Museum, Oxford University and the Harry Potter exhibit. Students will have plenty of time to explore London and find what interests them.
“What is really special about this trip is that we have a $10,000 travel grant split between all the students who apply for the trip,” Ritzenthaler said. “This is why this trip is really exciting for students to do because they might not have the opportunity to go abroad with this much financial support.”
Ritzenthaler wants students to use the financial aid available to them to get over that initial hurdle of going abroad and to take advantage of the opportunities to go abroad that she didn’t take advantage of when she was in school.
“By virtue of going to one of the biggest cities in the world, one of the most varied cities in the world. I would love for students to get out the Doane bubble and find something new,” Ritzenthaler said.
Ritzenthaler hasn’t been outside North America herself, so she hopes that this trip to London helps her learn more about herself and the world as much as the students on the trip. The English Department will have a booth at the study abroad fair on Sept. 16 and is a part of Parents Weekend once again with “Tigers and Tea: A Travel Adventure to Literary London” hosted on Sept. 27.
