Spirit Squad
Get your FREE Virginia Wesleyan decal.
PEIC
Learn about campus greening initiative.
Sarah Tytler '09 continues to expand her cultural boundaries, teaching English in the Samoan Islands through the Peace Corps.
By Heather Templeton '10
Sarah Tytler '09, an International Relations major from Cortland, N.Y., has traveled to four continents during her four years at Virginia Wesleyan College.
"The more I travel, the more I want to continue to travel," she said.
Virginia Wesleyan's study abroad program offers short-term and long-term trips allowing you to conduct research, participate in community service and pursue internships.Tytler will continue to explore the world post-graduation as she has been accepted into the Peace Corps, a world renowned organization that sends active and passionate volunteers to more than 74 countries aiding in education, youth outreach and community development, the environment and technology. She has been placed in the Samoan Islands where she will teach English.
"The Peace Corps will definitely be an experience," said Tytler, who begins her journey in September. "I hope to step outside my perspective of what I know and challenge myself and gain cultural understanding."
During her college years at Virginia Wesleyan, Tytler was one of the six students and two faculty members who traveled to Vietnam during the summer of 2007 for a month-long trip to conduct research, record footage for a documentary and participate in humanitarian efforts. While there she focused on the political economy of Vietnam including how neo-liberalism, especially structural adjustment policy and development, affects the poor and rural areas of Vietnam.
And her travel abroad journey doesn't stop there.
During the fall of her junior year, Tyler took advantage of Wesleyan's direct exchange program with Universidad Madero in Puebla, Mexico. Through the program, she took French, German and Italian classes in Spanish and also learned about Mexican history, culture and politics.
In May 2008, Tytler traveled abroad to Europe, spending a week in London, England and a week in Paris, France. In Europe she studied the role of the cities' surroundings in the writings of William Shakespeare and Ernest Hemingway.
And during Winter Session 2009, Tytler traveled to Ghana, West Africa, through Wesleyan's Global Context in Humanities course. She spent three weeks in the Volta region of Ghana immersing herself in the country's unique culture while working with children on an international service project.
Reflecting on all of her study abroad experiences, Tytler said, "I have been able to do so much because I was a student at Virginia Wesleyan."
A Batten Scholar recipient, Tytler recognizes that without the financial support of her scholarships she would not have been able to experience four different continents.
"I would like to thank Mrs. Jane Batten for the wonderful opportunities she's given me by allowing me to attend Virginia Wesleyan on a scholarship," she said.
Tytler hopes to work for a non-profit international organization.
05.04.09