Honors Students Gain From "Experiential Education" On Hawai'i Excursion

Brookville, NY - Honors program students from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University garnered much more than a tan on the Honors Hawai’i excursion this May. Dr. Joan Digby, director of the Honors Program at C.W. Post, led the group of 12 students, accompanied by C.W. Post Anthropology Professor and expert in Polynesian ethnicity, Dr. Chantal Ferraro, who served as a tour guide, offering insight into the Polynesian culture and people.

The nine-day excursion was the first in the new C.W. Post Honors series, “The World is Our Home,” designed to open C.W. Post’s local students to the states and countries from which their peers originate. The launch was planned around Forrest McGarvey, an art major from Oahu, whose family welcomed the group with leis as they stepped off the plane in his homeland.

Though there was ample time spent on the token tourist activities of shopping and lounging on the beach, the students also hiked the world-famous Diamond Head Volcano, sampled exotic foods, learned the hula with Tahitian dancers, rode canoes, went snorkeling, learned to surf, toured Pearl Harbor, visited the Bishop Museum, and took a day trip to Volcano National Park where they walked on lava.

For the students, the trip augmented the skills and passions they had developed at C.W. Post, providing them with an education not found in text books. Diana Broburg, a Music major who plays the ukulele and brought hers along, was riveted by the songs of the Polynesian nations. Photography major Keri Ann Smith captured a stunning portrait of a Samoan fire dancer at a luau. Amy Polizzoti, an Earth and Environmental Science major, saw her education come alive among the rocks and volcanic formations.

"It has always been my view that ‘experiential education’ is extremely valuable in shaping student values and internalizing learning," said Dr. Joan Digby. "This certainly was validated on the Hawai’i trip."

Posted: July 27, 2009