Written by Carthan Connolly
May 15th, 2025
For my Global Scholars Capstone project, I worked with Catherine McFarlane to cultivate a collection of resources for Global Initiatives Program (GIP) trip leaders to help them prepare students for cross-cultural travel. This collection essentially acts as a curriculum, consisting of activities, readings, videos, discussion questions, and interactive exercises with short instructions on what to highlight. Some of the themes and topics include cultural awareness, pre-existing bias, sustainability, respectful travel, and learning to be comfortable in moments of uncertainty or discomfort. Our goal was to create something accessible and practical that trip leaders could easily pull from while still encouraging meaningful reflection and discussion among students before they travel.
I think that this resource is incredibly valuable. Most obviously, it encourages students to work to develop a fuller understanding of the people and environments that they plan to interact with. I hope the consideration and curiosity that the curriculum encourages becomes more common and widespread as students learn and, in turn, promote those values themselves. Furthermore, this sense of respect is inherent in personal interactions, which I think is crucial in maintaining positive long-term relationships with partner schools for GIP; the way we represent Poly in an international setting matters. Travel should not simply be about visiting a new place, but about engaging thoughtfully with the people, traditions, and perspectives that shape it.
And while the principles of the capstone are so significant, I also think that the practical application of it is especially helpful. I had the opportunity to go on two GIP trips to Costa Rica and Italy, both of which were incredibly meaningful experiences. However, looking back, I think that if I had been more aware of the importance of intentional cultural immersion or more comfortable stepping into unfamiliar situations, I could have had an even deeper experience. Additionally, some of the group meetings before the trips felt somewhat redundant; we covered instructions and logistical details multiple times, and for my junior trip, while we discussed general Italian culture, much of that preparation did not necessarily reflect the specific region or homestay environment we would actually be entering. Because of that, I think these resources could make preparation more engaging, adaptable, and useful for both trip leaders and students.
One challenge we encountered during this project was realizing how difficult it can be to create educational materials that are both effective and engaging when actually put to use. For our final presentation of our capstone, Catherine and I facilitated some of the activities that we had researched. The Bafa-Bafa activity was my favorite to lead and seemingly the most effective in terms of the lesson, but even with thoughtful planning, the conversations and individuals moved in unexpected directions; none of our activities unfolded exactly as intended. I learned that we had to stay adaptable, especially when teaching things that are dependent on such a variety of people and personalities, which really reflected the point of the whole project. Within itself, this reflected the need to encourage empathy and awareness that are valuable in everyday life.
I also think this work feels especially relevant now as the world becomes interconnected by travel but increasingly fragmented by polarized values. To me, being a global citizen means being willing to learn from others, engage respectfully with unfamiliar perspectives, and understand the responsibility that comes with entering communities different from your own. Because my own GIP experiences shaped my perspective in lasting ways, contributing something meaningful back to the program felt especially important. Knowing that future students may use something we created to better understand the communities they visit makes this project feel particularly rewarding; the lasting impact makes me feel like I’m really helping to make change. I hope it helps future travelers approach their experiences with greater awareness, humility, and curiosity.
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