Flags from other countries hang throughout the Honors College for the World Cup. (Photo/Logan Kirkland)
The Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College sent six students to Brazil on June 11 to the FIFA World Cup to provide them with a learning environment for international interaction.
Dean of the Honors College Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez recalled how the trip came to be. He said it was created from a competitive session between professors on coming up with special topics for their classes.
“There were several topics that came up,” Sullivan-Gonzalez said. “They focused on international security, languages and the sports. All of those topics became requirements for students in qualifying for the World Cup trip.”
Andrus Ashoo, national scholarship advisor for the honors college, said about 13 students who applied were given the chance to explain to the committee why they were the best candidate to receive this study opportunity.
“They each made a website or a video telling us why they should go,” Ashoo said. “An important factor in choosing them was a special topics class they enrolled in.”
Ashoo said this will be a great opportunity for their students to engage with international topics and put their preparation into practice.
“This World Cup trip is a catalyst for international scholars to interact with culture, sports, politics, economics and security,” Ashoo said.
Debra Young, associate dean of the honors college said the students were divided into three groups and are not going to be escorted by faculty. She said the students were in charge of organizing the majority of their trip.
“They planned every detail of the World Cup trip. Where they would stay, when the games were, and so on,” Young said. “They had the confidence they could meet the challenges.”
Even though this is not a program where students are taking classes, Sullivan-Gonzalez said students are still engaging in a new environment.
“It’s essentially study abroad,” Sullivan-Gonzalez said. “Each student was granted two grand to pay for the costs of flying, housing, and tickets. It’s their responsibility.”
Young said she is proud of what the students have done in order to be a part of such a unique event.
“I think it’s incredible,” Young said. “They are great representatives of the honors college … and I will be looking for their faces in the crowds on television!”
The honors college courtyard has four country flags. Each flag is for the countries the U.S. soccer team must face in its group: Germany, Ghana and Portugal. A couple steps past the front door there is a bulletin board with a large bracket system. Sullivan-Gonzalez said that whoever correctly predicts the winner will receive a t-shirt.
