The Learning in the World program allows students to travel and learn about different cultures and practices.
Over the summer, students had the opportunity to travel and engage with experimental learning across the globe through Andover’s Learning in the World (LITW) programs. The seven summer LITW programs explored themes ranging from American history to environmental justice.
LITW aims to prepare students for global citizenship by engaging them in an international learning environment. Mark Cutler, Director of LITW and Instructor in Spanish, emphasized how LITW equips both students and faculty members with awareness of other languages and cultures.
“When faculty or students participate in these programs, they do tackle real-world issues many of the times. It’s an opportunity to give back. Sometimes they can make a difference in the host community, or they can take [their] learning back to their school community, or they’ve got some other endeavor that they’re pursuing which they can apply this new knowledge and skills to,” said Cutler.
Allen Grimm, Instructor in Theatre and Dance, and Casey Alexander Smith, Instructor in Art, guided students in the LITW program called “Civil Rights: The American Story.” The program served as an overview of the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States of America. Smith emphasized the importance of exposing students and faculty to facets of history less explored in a classroom setting.
“There are a lot of things that students uncovered and learned that are not always taught in history classes, [because there are] unknown heroes and activists, [or due to] time constraints. So anyone that joins these trips, I would encourage them to identify those things that are not [well known in] history books,” said Smith.
Allison Guerette, Campus Sustainability Coordinator, and Kit Leckerling, West Quad North Cluster Dean and Instructor in History, led the LITW program in Southeast Alaska called “Humans, Nature, and Sustainability: Tidelines Institute.” Students explored the lands of the indigenous Tlingit Nation through hikes, kayaking trips, and hands-on field study.
“This program helped all of us develop a greater sense of urgency about the climate crisis and the need for education and action when it comes to sustainability and environmental justice. Numerous climate-related events this summer, including the extreme heat and catastrophic storm during the opening of school, underlined this point for me. One of the highlights of the trip was listening to the students give well-researched, heart-felt speeches about how climate change is affecting people in their homelands,” said Leckerling.
Ellie Sun ’25, who participated in the trip to Alaska, appreciated the immersive learning experience the program provided. She noted how the program expanded her knowledge and interest in sustainability.
“I’d love to do another LITW program because I feel there’s definitely a lot that I learned from Alaska. I didn’t really know that much about sustainability before. I just went to Alaska because I thought it was cool. But now I’m a lot more interested… It’s a really amazing way to learn about something and actually feel connected to it,” said Sun.
Andrew Morgan ’24 participated in the program called “Systems, Sustainability, and Social Impact” due to his interest in the intersection of law and sustainability. The program featured a symposium at the Villars Institute in Switzerland, as well as visits to Geneva-based international and non-governmental organizations. Morgan described how the symposium brought him a new perspective to the approach to climate crisis.
“Before [the symposium], I feel like I had a lot of tunnel vision. When I think about the climate crisis… I think we tend to silo different disciplines, but in reality they’re connected to the core. And we sometimes need to have a more open mindset for cooperation, because at the end of the day, everything is interconnected. This symposium taught me [that],” said Morgan.
