Learning Across the Globe: Lawrenceville’s 2024 Harkness Travel Programming

          During the spring and summer breaks, the Lawrenceville School coordinates trips all over the world for students with special focuses such as cultural appreciation, service learning, history, philosophy or STEM. Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in cultures and communities around the world through these unique travel programs.

          Katie Axelsen ’24 will be traveling to Kenya where students will learn about the effects of ecotourism on the environment and indigenous communities. The students will visit animal sanctuaries and learn from native people about coexisting with animals and the natural environment. Axelsen was drawn to this trip in particular due to its focus on ecotourism’s effects on the local people, and especially since she is already “learning about poverty within Kenya through [her] poverty class.” She would also like to bond with other students on the trip while exploring a new country. In preparation for the trip, Axelsen is making sure she has access to the gear she needs by buying “modest clothing that will suit the environment.”

          On the other hand, Andrew Yang ’26 will be traveling on the STEM-oriented trip to Italy. Students will travel to cities of Bologna, Venice, and Verona with a focus on learning about the Italian car industry and applied physics, engineering, and design. Yang was particularly drawn to this trip as he wanted to learn about “Italian engineering and why they’re so successful.” With factory visits to Lamborghini and Ducati, he and fellow students will learn about what makes Italian motor vehicles so special compared to other brands. In addition, Yang is excited to immerse himself in Italian culture. As a returning visitor to Italy, he is excited to challenge himself to learn and explore with his peers. He is looking forward to traveling with “people [he] know[s] and new people from Lawrenceville” that he hasn’t gotten to know yet. In preparation to travel together to Italy, Yang’s group “is doing short introductions and writing paragraphs” to familiarize themselves with their peers. Yang is also doing his own research and talking to his Italian friends as he looks forward to the trip.

          Students interested in the environment, specifically climate change, will visit Iceland to explore its evolving landscapes firsthand. They will be able to see the effects of climate change while learning about how people in Iceland have adapted to the changing landscape and brainstorm together about the ways this knowledge can be applied at home. Anne Clifford-Levy ’26 prepares for the trip by “reading more about Iceland” as she has never been there and wants to discover more about their culture. Like other students awaiting their Harkness trip, she will make sure she has the “right clothing, her passport, and other essentials.” Clifford-Levy looks forward to taking this trip in which travel intertwines with education.

          Neel Das ’26 will travel to Japan in the upcoming summer for the first time with his peers, where they will learn Japanese history and culture throughout time, as well as touch on Japan’s involvement in World War II. Neel looks forward to this destination as his “dad lived in Japan for five years,” so he hopes to experience culture related to his heritage, including the societal differences. In addition, he looks forward to eating Japanese food. Neel enjoys traveling and is excited to make connections with his Lawrenceville peers during his travels. 

          Through the diverse Harkness programs, students can choose to immerse themselves in a specific field and develop a passion for learning about and connecting with a new culture.