University Honors Program

By Kaitlin Lewis

To say Grace Scott and Emily Shanahan had the adventure of a lifetime this summer would be an understatement.

Thanks to the Global Flyers program, the two spent six weeks in India learning about food security and food systems. Scott and Shanahan lived with host families and took classes. They also worked on their host families’ farms and helped with daily tasks around the house.

Scott, a junior premed major and sustainability minor, felt called to apply for the program because it was such a unique chance for experiential learning.

“The opportunity to study sustainable practices while earning credits abroad in the Himalayas was something that I could not pass up,” she said.

For Shanahan, the Global Flyers: India program was the perfect opportunity to study a topic she feels passionate about. As an international business management major with minors in sustainability and human rights, she knew this program was exactly what she wanted to do with her summer.

“I really want to work to make our global food system more transparent,” she shared. “Being in India gave me another perspective on the cultural and physiological importance of food.”

Although they were only there for six weeks, Scott and Shanahan have memories that will last a lifetime. The two learned so much in the classroom, but the most important lessons they learned came from the connections with people they met.

“Everyone told me that India would be so different and nothing that I've ever experienced,” Scott said.  “Yet when I think of India, I think of my father joking around with our family, my mother nagging him for staying out too late playing cards with the boys, and my sisters refusing to eat anything that resembles a vegetable. We are more similar than we think.”

“When you hear about global food insecurity, you often just hear a lot of statistics,” Shanahan said. “Seeing the faces and communities actually impacted by this issue was very powerful and made me want to continue to advocate for change. I want to share their stories and experiences.”

Scott and Shanahan recommend this program because it forces students outside their comfort zones. Both are grateful to the Honors Program for the opportunity to study such an important issue in a new cultural context.

“It truly is a once in a lifetime program,” Scott said.