Texas State Global News Team Heading to Guyana in 2018

By Kyla-Krista Ong
kso8@txstate.edu

Holly Wise at the news conference on Monday
Photo by Kyla-Krista Ong

SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Global News Team and trip advisor, Holly Wise, a lecturer at Texas State University, will be traveling to Guyana in January 2018 for an annual study abroad trip.

Established in 2015, the Global News Team is recruited by Wise every year and consists of students from the School of Mass Communication and Journalism. They are tasked in telling the stories of the community and volunteer staff by collecting and creating multimedia content.

At a news conference on Monday, Wise explained that this study abroad trip is unlike others and refers to it as a service-learning oriented trip.

“There is usually no regimented classroom time involved. You are volunteering in an international environment and you are often living in people’s communities,” Wise said.

The Global News Team’s last trip took place in Nicaragua in January 2017. They were accompanied by Texas State students from the School of Nursing to administer healthcare to the community being visited. For the 2018 trip, students from the Department of Respiratory Care will take part in the visit to Guyana and provide respiratory therapy.

A typical day during the trip consists of the students waking up as early as 7 a.m and serving the communities until 3 p.m. At the end of the day, the team begins editing photos, writing posts for their social media and organizing strategies for the next day.

Wise, who also has a large background in social justice work, said that there are many benefits by being a part of the team.

“One thing that I’m hoping for all of my students is that they gain a global perspective of their work. I also hope they connect with people who are different from them and that it can dispel any kind of judgement toward people who live in developing countries.” Wise said.

Students must complete an application and interview process with Wise to take part in this study abroad opportunity. The cost is $2,804 and covers airfare, two meals per day, lodging, health insurance, the application fee and the application fee for the organization the trip is traveling with.

For more information regarding the Global News Team, students can visit the team’s official website at https://txstglobalnews.wordpress.com. If seeking further information on the study abroad trip, Wise can be contacted at hlw24@txstate.edu.