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Group of students at the Sierra Negra Volcano

New Horizons for Bio-Med Students

How many high school students can say that they got to climb the Sierra Negra Volcano in the Galapagos? Or tell you what it was like to stand on Juliet’s balcony in Verona, Italy? On March 14, fifty-one Bio-Med Science Academy students embarked on international trips. Twelve students went to the Galapagos, while the other thirty-nine travelled through five European countries (Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France).

Junior Gabrielle Biltz said that traveling to Europe – especially visiting Paris – has been her lifelong dream. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, visiting Juliet’s balcony and roaming around Munich, Germany were just a few of the things Biltz got to do. But her favorite part of the trip was standing at the top of Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland.

“We were above the clouds, and the view was breathtaking. You could see the Alps everywhere you looked,” she said.  It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, Biltz said.

Nearly 6,700 miles away, senior Devan Mathie had a similar experience when he summited the Sierra Negra Volcano on Isabella Island in the Galapagos. The hike was difficult, and it was made worse by the altitude change, but Mathie said it was worth every step to see the largest volcano in the archipelago. Mathie commented, “I had never seen anything like it. The sheer scale of the volcano helped me realize just how big the world really is.”

Every spring the Academy offers juniors and seniors two optional international trips. Many of the students at the Academy wouldn’t have the chance to experience these learning opportunities without the school’s support, said teacher Lisa Berry, who joined students on the European trip. She said, “Many of the students who attend these trips have never been out of the country – some have never left Northeast Ohio.”  A tour company called EF Educational Tours provides every group with a guide who remains with the students during the whole trip. Administrators and teachers like Berry chaperone the tours.

By opening the door to experience life beyond the student’s surroundings, the Academy is teaching the students to apply their problem solving and critical thinking skills to bigger, more global issues.

Students said their new awareness of the larger world surrounding them and the memories they made were their biggest takeaways. “Besides lots of souvenirs, I took home a ton of new experiences, and a lot of them were once in a lifetime,” Biltz said.

Looking back on his trip, Mathie shared some sage advice, “Travelling somewhere new and disconnecting from your home life allows you to focus on the world and the people around you. Understanding people who look different from you, act different from you, and live different from you is a key step in understanding yourself.”

Gillian Seibel is a senior at the Bio-MedScience Academy and an intern in NEOMED’s Office of Marketing and Communications.