DBU MA in Leadership Travel-Study Trip to Washington, D.C. - Spring 2016
This past week, I had the privilege of co-teaching a travel-study course that led a group of DBU students to Washington, D.C. This trip is truly a transformational experience for our students each year, and is a required course in our Master of A
rts in Leadership program because of that. Through this trip, students have the opportunity to hear from key leaders of today, study leadership in the lives of our Founding Fathers, and expand their worldview in a significant way.
Here are a few highlights of this year's trip:
Each year, students on this trip have the unique chance to hear from key national leaders. This year, Congressman Louie Gohmert led our group on a night time tour of the Capitol (pictured above), Ronald Reagan's former Executive Assistant spoke to the group, and several DBU alumni shared their experiences of working in D.C.
We also had the privilege of visiting the headquarters of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative. This organization does work around the globe to advocate on behalf of religious freedom, and our students got to hear from their Executive Director (pictured above), a former Congressman who works with them, and their Executive Vice President. They shared about their recent work in Iraq and their efforts to have the U.S. Congress declare the work of ISIS in that region to be "genocide." The day before we arrived, their work came to fruition (as described here), and we were able to hear about how these Christian leaders truly made a difference in the world for Christ.
During our time in Washington, D.C., students visited many historic landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and several Smithsonian Museums.
We were also able to visit key historic sites in Virginia, including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (pictured above), George Washington's Mount Vernon, and Colonial Williamsburg. It was an amazing experience to talk about these foundational leaders in the places where they lived.
Overall, we had a great time in these historic locations, as we learned about the idea of Christian calling to service in the world around us.
