Last summer 41 Cass Tech students and six CT staff members toured London and Paris. The students and staff members departed on June 25 and returned July 4. It was the first time that the ELA department sponsored an international trip.
Kelsey Wiley, one of the trip chaperones, said that the purpose of the trip was to give students a chance to explore the world.
“[It} was just a chance for kiddos to explore different parts of the world and also themselves,” said Wiley.
The application process was not complicated and there were no prerequisites required. Students were selected on a first-come, first-serve basis, Wiley said.
“With this … trip in particular, we simply just opened it up to anybody who was interested,” said Wiley.
Students attended the musical Wicked in London and while in Paris, they visited the Eiffel Tower.
Ingrid Ramos-Aranda, a CT senior, said seeing Wicked and visiting the Eiffel Tower were definitely the highlights of the trip for her.
“It was just like mind blowing how beautiful it all was,” Ramos-Aranda said. “[Wicked] and then in Paris, definitely seeing the Eiffel Tower. … It’s just like a crazy experience when this is something you never thought you’d ever see.”
Wiley encourages all students to take the opportunity to travel abroad during high school.
“I think if there’s a chance to travel before you’re an adult on your own, you should definitely do it,” Wiley said. “The chaperones are there to make sure that you’re safe, that you can take care of yourself.”
Ramos-Aranda recommends traveling abroad for high schoolers, especially those who plan to travel after graduation because it is a great introduction to traveling abroad.
“It definitely like takes the ease off knowing that you have adults around you who can help you out and everything is planned for you,” Ramos-Aranda said. “It’s a great first time experience.”
