Traveling outside of the border of one’s nationality is a huge step toward having an open mind. WOHS’s global initiative program offers a growing number of opportunities for high school students to make unforgettable memories and learn through this experience. In the 2025-2026 school year so far, students have traveled to Japan and Denmark, and some are planning to travel to France in the Spring.

   There are countless lessons to be learned from traveling to a different country, and one is to help students to know if and why they want to travel in the first place. For example, one student may travel to experience new cultures. Sr. Piper Witvoet said, “The new experience of different cultures and traveling abroad is what made me want to travel to Denmark.” Sr. Rilee Sikorski, who is preparing to travel to France, said, “I want to do the trip in general because I thought it was a great way to expand upon my knowledge of the French culture and see what it’s like in a different part of the world.” Experiencing and learning about different cultures is more than just learning facts. It is about learning what one should be grateful for and having a better understanding of different cultures and having a more open mind, which is helpful to have in an already diverse country like the United States.

   Other students may travel to learn about a country they know little about. Soph. Irie Berghuis, another student who traveled to Denmark, said, “I wanted to go [to Denmark] because it was an opportunity to travel and I’ve never heard about the country and don’t know much about it, so I thought it would be a good experience.” Often the less students know about a place, the more they can learn from going there.

  Although traveling is fun, most, if not all, students and even staff members who traveled through the global initiatives program faced many challenges throughout the trip, such as language barriers. However, challenges are always an opportunity to learn and grow. Witvoet said, “Her [host family] spoke Danish, and they didn’t speak English, so it was constant translating between the two languages.” Instructor Brian Taylor, who was a chaperone for the Japan trip, said, “The biggest challenge is we were in a small town where a lot of people didn’t know English, so we figured out how to use different apps on our phone to try translating.” Although Taylor and Witvoet used other resources to translate, the language barrier challenged them to problem-solve and adapt. Another way of learning might be to step out of the comfort zone. Stepping out of the comfort zone is taking a step towards learning. Jr. Liam Cronkright, who is preparing to travel to France later in the school year, said, “It does get you out of your comfort zone in a good way, because you grow as a person and you learn so much about different cultures and people.” Stepping out of the culture that one always used to live in is uncomfortable. But it is one of the best ways of exposing oneself to different cultures. Sikorski said, “Her [correspondent’s family] doesn’t speak a lot of English, so that might be a barrier, but I think that will be a chance to ameliorate my language.” Joining the program is already taking a step out of the comfort zone, but the travel experience pushes students even further. Berghuis said, “I learned to take risks and go outside of my comfort zone; it was the best opportunity to learn about the world… beyond West Ottawa and the United States.”

   Every student and staff member who was a part of the global initiative programs would agree that more or all students should try to take advantage of the program. For Witvoet, her travel to Denmark was “A life-changing experience.” Some students may also be unaware that they would want to take advantage of the program. Cronkright said, “I never thought I’d be doing this exchange program, but after hosting someone here, it made me glad I’ve done it.” Like Cronkright, many students may feel that this is something they would never do. But it is unlikely that they will regret taking the first step. He also said, “You definitely learn more going through the school’s program because you’re completely immersing yourself into the language and culture.” Traveling through the program can be more meaningful and educational than a simple family trip. Some students might feel that they aren’t “qualified” for the program in general. However, this isn’t likely true. Berghuis said, “I didn’t think I was gonna get in. I signed up blindly, not expecting to get accepted, but I actually ended up getting in.” Other students might think that they aren’t qualified for this program because their household might need financial assistance. Taylor said, “The school will help subsidize kids’ travel if money is tight for them,” meaning cost shouldn’t be a barrier for students to apply.

   Of course, there is a lot of commitment, time, effort, and money invested in being a part of the global initiative program. However, the reward outweighs the costs. Taylor said, “For all the West Ottawa’s global exchange programs, the time and money are well spent.” He went on to emphasize how important these experiences are for students, saying, “Every student should travel [through the school’s program]; we should be filled to the max for every program. There should never be a lack of interest because they’re so valuable.” His comments show how important and meaningful the program can be for students and how it is worth all the investment students put into the program.