We are sailing toward Morocco today, the last port we will visit as a community. With just 14 days until the voyage ends in Barcelona and people go their separate ways, we are all buckling down to finish projects begun (or not) earlier in the semester. I better hurry up and profile all of the library work study students before we are out of sea days.
So, meet Bryson. From Los Angeles, he attends UCLA and is a senior double majoring in economics and global studies. While he isn't certain of his plans following graduation, he has taken advantage of the entrepreneurship exploration and mentoring opportunities made possible by the Unreasonable at Sea program's presence on the ship this semester.
What Bryson has valued most about Semester at Sea has been the consistent, face to face interaction with everyone on the ship. He says "living a life devoid of distractions" such as cell phones, fast internet, and easy mobility make these connections much easier to form. Off the ship, building and cultivating local relationships has been the most rewarding aspect of his time in port.
If he could change one thing about Semester at Sea, Bryson might want to see more defined tracks for port experiences. If students were asked to focus on a specific area such as service, business, or medicine across all ports, their comparative experience could be much richer. On the other hand, the freedom to follow changing interests and let them evolve naturally during the voyage is such an important part of the Semester at Sea experience that choosing a focus early on could be difficult.
As you can tell, Bryson is a deep thinker who likes to explore all sides of an issue. I look forward to seeing where his path leads after Semester at Sea and graduation. Thanks, Bryson, for being interviewed.
[picture coming shortly]
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