Wednesday, April 24, 2013
More Info: Study Abroad
Images: Photo Gallery
For many, summer is a time for travel -- a trip to a nearby beach, a needed escape from the summer heat or taking a summer road trip. For Dylan Owens, his 2012 summer trip was a life changing experience.
An employee at Jersey Mikes Subs, Dylan always dreamed about exploring more of what the world had to offer. Inspired by the anecdotes of a friend who had traveled to Prague, Owens decided to attend an information session at GateWay Community College to learn about the summer abroad program.
“I always wanted to go to Europe but didn’t think I could afford it,” he says. “After learning more about the program, I realized this was something I needed to do.”
The summer of 2013 will mark the eighth year of the study abroad program at GateWay, which takes students to Prague, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Courses offered include Digital Photography (ART 142), Art History (ARH 102), Contemporary Cinema (HUM 210), Introduction to the Holocaust (HUM 245), and Psychology of Religion (PSY 225).
Dylan signed up to take Art History and Psychology of Religion. Once he arrived in Prague, Dylan was immediately impressed with the beauty of the city.
“Being in Prague was like being in a fairy tale in real life,” he says. “The rhythm of life is very different from what it is in the United States. You don’t see anybody rushing and I remember it took me a while to assimilate to that pace.”
Dylan enjoyed his visit to the fullest, visiting the local bistros and learning about food in Prague. His passion for photography also challenged him to become more familiar with the city, as he looked for different landscapes to capture. This was also part of one challenge that was issued during his stay.
“For a number of years there has been a challenge to photograph every church in Prague within the timeframe of the trip,” he says. “A friend of mine and I took this challenge to heart and would mark off churches every day after class, we even had to learn the local language to talk to the natives and find the specific locations.”
When it was all said and done, Owens and his friend Robert Charles, also a study abroad student, were the first ones in the program to fulfill the challenge. Along the way, they also captured some great photos of their experience. The effort paid off as they earned a scholarship for a trip to Prague in 2013.
Owens is already planning for this summer’s trip and is looking to take this a step further.
“Being in Prague really transformed my life,” he says. “I am now planning to move permanently to Prague in 2014 and pursue a career in Marketing and Business Management. I just fell in love with the place while I was there.”
If you are interested in exploring Study Abroad opportunities, please contact Susan Mills at mills@gatewaycc.edu or visit www.gatewaycc.edu/prague.