By ADIA REYNOLDS
Tiger Media Network
Various departments at Fort Hays State University sent their students on trips around the globe during spring break, including three trips that created three very unique experiences.
Kale Link traveled with the FHSU Geosciences Department to various locations in Texas, including a stop in Weatherford—an unforgettable location where the Mineral Wells Fossil Park can be found. At the Mineral Wells Fossil Park, the ground is covered by invertebrate fossils, which visitors are invited to pocket and take home as souvenirs.
Link also shared the ways that even their sleeping situation was unique.
“We stayed at a KOA and they really undercharged us because we were staying in the grass because the sites were under construction… Later we learned the groundskeeper was a retired geology professor and science fiction writer,” he said.
In years past, the FHSU Geosciences used to run this trip over the summer, but it was switched to a shorter spring break trip for 2025. It also serves as a capstone project for geoscience students.
Sigma Tau Delta’s annual international convention also took place over spring break. Sigma Tau Delta is the English Honors Society. In partnership with the FHSU English and Modern Languages department, students involved in Sigma Tau Delta traveled to Pittsburgh to attend and present their research at the convention. One such student was Elizabeth Clingan, who presented a paper titled, “Harry Potter as Gothic Literature” which was on a panel alongside three other papers about British dramas.
“The travel was a bit rocky, just with flight delays and cancellations, but the time in Pittsburgh was amazing,” Clingan said. “The panels were well put together, and I really enjoyed listening to the panels that FHSU students were in. Each of our students spoke extremely well and answered all of the questions they were asked expertly…We got to have good, intentional conversations with one another and get to know each other beyond the formalities of the classroom.”
FHSU’s Art and Design program offered students a chance to add some stamps to their passports through a trip that covered Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England. The trip was organized by the department chair Karrie Simpson Voth as well as Art History Instructor Erica Bittel. In total, 22 students were able to attend, a blend of undergrad and graduate students alike.
“My favorite part [of all the trips we take] is witnessing the students’ excitement as they experience iconic architecture, design, and famous works of art in person—pieces they’ve only studied in their art and design classes,” Simpson Voth said. “That feeling of seeing their creativity ignite and their perspectives expand never gets old.”
Bittel explains how study abroad is open to students of all stripes and majors, though the trip is designed with an emphasis on art, design, and architecture.
“Through these tours, students get first-hand exposure to the art and architecture they learn about in the classroom, and they come home from their travels invigorated and inspired to create, learn, and travel more,” she said.
Bittel said her favorite experience on this trip is visiting major art museums, such as the National Gallery of Ireland or the National Gallery of England, with students and witnessing their excitement as they see famous works of art in person.
“Their enthusiasm when viewing a Rembrandt self-portrait or Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” means I’m doing my job,” she said.
Each of these three trips highlights the ways that FHSU propels students’ experiences beyond the four walls of the classroom and into the real world. From Texas to Pittsburgh to the UK and beyond, spring break was anything but stagnant for FHSU students and faculty.
“Many of them get bit by the travel bug, realizing how much more there is to explore, and they return home not only with fresh inspiration but also with a newfound eagerness to continue traveling and experiencing the world,” Simpson Voth said.
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