Corps Around the World

Our students have been all over the world this summer. Seriously. From South America to Asia to Europe, they were on the move. But what were they up to? We’ll start on the other side of the globe, in Thailand.

“It’s important to see other people in their cultures so you’re not just dealing with your own little corner of the world.” — Micah Holtgraves

Micah Holtgraves, a member of the Video Team, ventured to Bangkok and Phuket for eight days. While his dad, a professor at Ball State, was speaking at a psychology conference, they had the chance to visit a foreign exchange student who lived with them. Double bonus.

Micah says that he’ll never forget parasailing over the Andaman Sea. It was a “little sketch” but a fun experience to say the least.

“You meet such interesting people, (traveling) makes your world bigger.” — Anna Weddle

Design Team member, Anna Weddle, was in the same neck of the woods (well, at least on the same continent). She spent two weeks in India visiting Munnar, Kerala, and New Dehli. Her cousin was marrying an Indian woman and having a traditional Indian wedding. It was also the end of Ramadan, so they visited some mosques and Shiite temples along with some of the tea plantations in the mountains.

“Get to know other cultures and people around the world so you can relate to other people.” — Grace Winiger

Alright folks, buckle your seat belts- we’re going to Europe! Grace Winiger, from the Design Team, took her adventures to Italy with her mom and some of her friends. She visited lots of cities including Rome, Assisi, Sorento, Positano, Capri, and Florence where they took architectural tours learning about the design and history of buildings. Grace said boating for seven hours in Capri was the coolest part of the trip.

“Traveling gives you fresh perspectives. We hear about all the negative happening, but there are so many positives we don’t hear about.” — Aaram Kamali

Another Design Team member, Aaram Kamali, went to South America. He started out in Santiago, Chile, where he was a tourist learning about the culture. Next, he flew to Lima, Peru, where he started his volunteer trip with Reach Out Volunteers. They were building a dining room in the middle of a village in Sacred Valley. Aaram helped build the actual dining room, but was also in charge of painting a 10-foot mural in the room. Aaram has always wanted to visit Peru. It was a dream to observe and experience the art and culture of the country.

“It’s important to experience other cultures and learn to communicate across cultural barriers.” — Vivien Pong

Also holding it down in South America was Video Team member, Vivien Pong. She traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a part of an immersive learning project on the culture of Brazil. AKA “ BSU at the Games” (the Olympic games, that is). Along with other students from Ball State, Vivien captured footage and told the stories of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. She worked on videos about the culture of Brazil, one about surfing, one about foot volley, and — the best one — called “Dogs of Brazil” (probably the most influential to her career).

Lexy Madrid and Micah Holtgraves interned at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.

The Corps has been all around the world, but we also had students holding things down in the states! After his trip to Thailand, Micah met up with Lexy Madrid, also from the Video Team. Together, the two spent their summer in Washington D.C. interning at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. One of the biggest projects the two worked on was for the Museum’s 40th anniversary. It was a 12-hour broadcast that, in short, required tons of work and a 14-hour shift.