Travel Opportunities
Pioneering new frontiers and experiences
At Western Reserve Academy, learning can take you everywhere — literally! Travel to Guatemala, Greece, China, Costa Rica, Taiwan (and more!) for language immersion, global engagement and an experience that will broaden your horizons far beyond the classroom walls. Take advantage of our many student programs that involve special travel, such as the Model UN conference at Northwestern University or a Biophysical Society professional scientific conference in San Diego for select Cancer Immunology students. And learn the satisfaction of serving other communities, meeting new people and working hard to improve their quality of life.
Ellen C. Long Study Abroad (ELISA) Program
ELISA is a fully-funded summer home stay program of language immersion and cultural enrichment offered to qualified WRA students. The program is intended for sophomore students who have successfully completed a second year of language study and who have best exemplified the spirit of Ellen C. Long through their performance, effort and keen interest in the language and culture.
Ellen C. Long demonstrated a life-long commitment to building bridges among cultures and peoples through her dedication, sensitivity to and appreciation of different languages and cultures. Thanks to the support and the generous donation of Dr. Dixon Long '51, ELISA has traveled to Costa Rica, France, Taiwan, Italy and Germany.
The trip was an amazing learning experience. I had a lot of new adventures such as surfing, experiencing the culture of a new country and improving my Spanish. This was an amazing trip and second-to-none."
-Karthik '21, on his trip to Costa Rica
Jump the World
Jump the World is a one-to-one exchange program between students from Western Reserve Academy and students in Guatemala. Each summer, two WRA students travel to Guatemala, where they will live in a homestay, attend classes and become part of a local school community. The trip begins with a week-long community service project. For the next three weeks, students will attend schools alongside their counterpart (brother or sister) in their host families. In the final week, students will have a school vacation and will travel with their host families.
Read the international student travel blogs here.
Service Opportunities
The trip to Pine Ridge Reservation is a life-changing experience. WRA partners with RE-MEMBER, a non-profit organization that operates on the Reservation, to provide a service-learning experience that gives students the chance to work with the Oglala Lakota community and immerse themselves in the Lakota culture.
Students engage in service work to improve the quality of life for those who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation and learn about the culture of the Lakota people through service projects, visiting important cultural sites and speaking with members of the community.