This summer, Andover’s Learning in the World (LITW) programs took students and faculty all over the globe, including through the U.S., Japan, Alaska, Greece, and Switzerland. With seven programs offered this summer, LITW seeks to expose students to diverse cultures and cultivate global citizenship.
Since its founding in 2014, LITW has reached five continents with its in-person programs. Reflecting on the importance of LITW at Andover, Mark Cutler, Director of LITW and Instructor in Spanish, recalled his own exposure to experiential education growing up.
“I’m a product of an experiential education. [I took] my first international trip when I was just 13 and exchanged with a boy [in Spain]… In eighth grade, I also lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and [went] to a Lakota Sioux school called the Crazy Horse School,” said Cutler.
He continued, “I had opportunities to explore culture, language, and histories outside of my own bubble, which I think was really important for me at a young age, to see the world through different eyes. What being director of learning the world means is that I can help other young people discover those perspectives and develop a passion for intercultural living.”
Eric Roland, Interim Director of the Tang Institute, and Andy Wall, Instructor in Chemistry, brought students to Switzerland for the program “Systems, Sustainability, and Social Impact.” By conversing with other youth activists and international, national, and local organizations, Roland hopes to encourage students to tackle systemic issues through collaboration.
“One of our main areas of focus was when we visited these organizations, we wanted for there to be conversation and engagement. Not just [someone] delivering messages and information, but for there to be a back and forth, for there to be dialog… It’s what our world needs, a community of people who are committed to bringing about meaningful change to these systemic issues that face the world, to turn those systemic challenges into systemic opportunities,” said Roland.
Ashiq Kibria ’26 traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland with his Theatre and Dance 915 (THD915) class as part of the “Performing in the World” program. Throughout the previous Spring Term, students in THD915 collaborated to craft a theater performance that they performed four times this summer, including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, one of the largest theater and arts festivals in the world. Kibria connected this trip to his own passion for theater.
“I’m interested in theater and [the trip featured] a devised piece that we all constructed ourselves. It was amazing to be able to go together as a group to perform a piece in a different country. Overall, it was a great experience. We performed our show, called ‘Pathways,’ four different times, while also watching other American high school theater shows… I was able to learn a lot through my peers and also my Seniors, along with being able to connect well with teachers,” said Kibria.
Allen Grimm, Instructor in Theatre and Dance, co-led both “Performing in the World” and “Civil Rights: The American Story,” a program guiding students through a historical tour of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Grimm highlighted experiential learning as crucial to the student experience at Andover.
“These kinds of experiential learning programs are some of the most important things that can happen at [Andover]. It doesn’t have to be Performance in the World. It can be lots of different things… Now you’re actually in a different nation, and there are different customs, different foods, different ways of behaving, and we all have to work together to make it happen,” said Grimm.
A participant in the LITW program to Japan, Yumi Lai ’27 reflected on the opportunity to cultivate new relationships and explore parts of Japan she had never visited before. Lai especially enjoyed sharing and experiencing Japanese culture alongside other Andover students.
“What was super meaningful was just being with that small group of friends who I honestly did not know before the trip and being able to spend that full two weeks with them… Some of us experienced things for the first time. I have been on subways [in Japan] before, but some of them have never been and they sometimes asked me, ‘What is respectful in this country?’ That made an impact on me because I was really appreciative that I had that [cultural knowledge] and I was able to help or teach other people and share that,” said Lai.
Marcela Hernandez ’25 also formed deeper connections with students and teachers as they explored museums, historical sites, and natural landscapes in Athens, Greece. She shared some takeaways from exploring the local culture and history.
“Whether we were near a beach or in a museum, or just on a walk, it was just amazing to be in such a beautiful place with all these people I was getting really close with. The Ancient Greeks were really taught about balance and lifestyle, and know how to balance physical and mental health… A key point I took away was this balance and meditative reflection and self reflection… I would highly recommend going on a LITW trip,” said Hernandez.
Applications for all LITW programs in the upcoming year are due on November 15. Invitations and waitlists will be sent out in early December.
