Students at Oklahoma Christian University have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and grow in their professional careers through the opportunities offered in an annual spring break trip.
For the past 10 years, Associate Professor of Business Jody Jones previously served as the sponsor for the trip. Now he is handing the responsibility off to Janell Huntsman, the administrative assistant for the College of Business.
Jones said originally the trip began as a conference trip to Dayton, OH, and then moved to New York, but circumstances led him to make a decision to do something other than a conference.
“Eventually the conference got really expensive and redundant,” Jones said. “We started doing our own thing. So now we see primarily finance stuff in New York and even explore the history there.”
Jones said since he has been involved with the trip for the last two years, along with two study abroad trips, he is ready for a break to spend more time at home with his family.
“At some point I would like to attend this trip again in the future, but having this break will be nice,” Jones said. “I have loved seeing the benefits that come out of this trip for the students. This trip gives students exposure to a big city business and makes things tangible. It is great to be able to actually see and experience all of the different things in different states and I know the students that go on this trip will continue to grow in their knowledge.”
Huntsman and her husband are leading this year’s trip, and she said she is excited for the experience and to travel to New York.
“Last year they did the Wall Street experience and World Trade Center, which we plan on doing both of these this year,” Huntsman said. “There is a variety of different things we can do on this trip, we even plan on going to a Broadway show, and there will be a day or two of free time for those students.”
Huntsman said she is excited for this year’s group of students to have the opportunity to see new parts of the country.
“Several of the students that sign up are international students, so they really want to see other parts of the country and learn more about the history,” Huntsman said. “All the students that sign up get the chance to experience new things and go to different places. For them as students, they get to expand their knowledge and learn more about the world and history of the world.”
Sophomore Kayden Carver said she attended the trip last year because she was interested in seeing how the information she learned in the classroom was incorporated in the real world.
“I have always been the type of person to learn better by actually seeing and experiencing things instead of just reading the textbook, so this trip was a great opportunity for me,” Carver said. “This trip was the first time I had been to these places and not only learning about the business part of it but also the historical part. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the Holocaust museum.”
Carver said she would recommend this trip because it is a rare opportunity for students to experience.
“You get to visit and get into places that are not easily accessible to the general public,” Carver said. “It is a once in a lifetime experience and very well worth it.”
For more information about the trip, contact Janell Huntsman.
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