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Introduction

The Capstone Scholars program emphasizes learning, both in and out of the classroom. The capstone scholars program offers a ton of opportunities in order to facilitate this. During your first semester at Carolina, Capstone students are strongly encouraged to participate in special Capstone Scholars sections of University 101, also called U101. This was my first Capstone within the classroom experience. Beyond the classroom experiences are just as important to the Capstone Scholars program as within the classroom. For my beyond the classroom experience, I chose to participate in a Maymester program, and travel with a group of Capstone Scholars to Iceland to learn about information literacy. These experiences that I got to share with a group of other Capstone Scholars have had a huge impact on my college experience.

Within the Classroom

My within the classroom experience was my University 101 class. University 101 is a class that first year students at Carolina are required to take, usually in their first semester, in order to facilitate their transition from high school to university. This program helps students to learn about the many different opportunities and resources available to them at Carolina. One opportunity the Capstone Scholars office has is special sections of U101 just for Capstone Scholars. It was a great opportunity to meet and connect with other Capstone students. Being an out of state student, it was difficult for me to make friends, especially with the pandemic having everything online. It was my only in person class, and it was one of the main ways I was able to make some friends. One of my favorite things about the class was having so many people live in my building. I always had someone to walk to or from class with, and doing group assignments was super easy because most of us lived in Capstone, so we just went to someone’s dorm room to do the assignment.

U101 taught me everything about Carolina, and more about the Capstone Scholars program. Coming in, I didn’t know much about the program, beyond that I got a scholarship. During U101, I got to learn more about the resources I have through the university, like mental health counseling, different resources at the library that I wouldn’t even think of, and safety features, which is so important. I have used so many of the resources I learned about. One major thing I learned about was when learning about study abroad options, I learned about the special capstone travel grants. The passport travel grant was the grant I got for my Maymester, which covered my tuition which was a huge help in being able to afford my Maymester. While U101 is not directly related to my career goals, it has given me the skills I needed to be successful in college, and I use the resources from that class almost daily.

Beyond the Classroom

My beyond the classroom experience was going on the 2022 Capstone Maymester to Iceland. One of my goals in college was always to study abroad. However, I entered college as a nursing major, which is a difficult degree to study abroad with. I also changed my major to public health, which complicated the matter even more. However, the Maymester programs made it easy for me to achieve this goal. I first tried to study abroad with the Portugal and England program in 2021, but it was canceled due to pandemic concerns. I was sad when they announced that they would be trying to do other programs instead of the Portugal and England one, but I think it was for the better. I was very excited when they announced the Iceland program. I have always wanted to travel to Iceland, and getting to go on a Maymester there sounded like the perfect opportunity for me.

This program had a huge impact on me. Getting to experience the culture and meet the people of Iceland was so important to me. While I am lucky to have traveled around the world, most students my age have not. For most people, it was their first time out of the US, and even then, most who had been out of the US had only been to Canada or the Caribbean. Iceland has a unique culture, and it was great to get to learn about it. This experience was meaningful to me because traveling and experiencing the world is a huge value of mine. I think it is very important to learn about people different from us, because every culture and belief has its merit, and I want to take the good of the world and apply it to my own life.

One of my key takeaways from my trip to Iceland was to enjoy the moment. The pandemic has made me feel like I am attached to my electronics. Being in another country where I don’t have a cell plan, I was able to disconnect and enjoy the nature and people around me, which was nice to do. The combination of being able to disconnect and experience a new culture was so refreshing, since this was my first time truly traveling in a very long time. I want to experience more of the world, and I am now setting a goal to try and get my Master’s degree abroad, if I choose to pursue that in my future. My goal is to at least travel more, however.

Connection

The best part about the Capstone Scholars emphasis on both within the classroom learning and beyond the classroom learning is getting to make connections from things you learned in the classroom with real-world experiences. I believe that learning outside the classroom is just as important as in the classroom education, if not more important. However, the best thing is to bring them together, as both working as one are the best way to learn. One of the best things about going on my Iceland Maymester was applying the skills I learned in U101 when we talked about studying abroad to going through the process. I applied for the Passport Travel grant because I remembered it from my U101 class, and I got the scholarship, which covered my tuition. I used library resources, which I first learned about in U101, to complete the class requirements. The different programs I was introduced to in U101 even gave me the confidence to apply for the Maymester, so I am grateful to that class. I don’t think I would be in the position I am in now without the Capstone U101, nor would I have even dared to go to Iceland. Applying everything I learned to have such an amazing trip was such a great pay off, and I am so glad I listened in class and remembered these skills.