by Bailey Burnett | Nov 6, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight, Travel
Brianna Burch is just one of the students who say the Global Learning Program has benefited them by offering opportunities to explore the world and enhance their educations in other cultures. “Studying abroad not only allowed me to travel to places I’ve always wanted to visit, but it also offered me opportunities to appreciate different lifestyles and cultures in a uniquely immersive way,” said Burch, of the program that takes students to 40-plus different locales. “My international experiences helped me develop professional skills and embrace my own independence, all while having the adventure of a lifetime.” Burch, an English literature and French major, has been to the UK, Italy, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Vatican City as part of the program. Kristen Hodge, a Lipscomb University graduate, went to Florence, Italy with the Global Learning Program, and “I loved every second of it,” she said. “Traveling with my friends is an experience I’ll never forget. Being able to explore new places and learn about new cultures is a beautiful experience.” While traveling abroad, students can take courses in other countries that relate to their majors. Trips vary in length and can go for a couple of weeks or for an entire semester. Not only does the Global Learning Program allow students to explore interesting places, but the trips also give a sense of global knowledge and experience. Florence, London, Vienna, and Costa Rica are a few of the many places the Undergraduate Programs offer. Graduates programs are offered in many other locations, including Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, and Israel. If you’re interested in studying abroad, click here for...
by Madison Sharp | Oct 31, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider, Student Spotlight
Lauren Reed is a first-year professor at Lipscomb University, owner of her own PR agency, ultramarathon runner and now a mountain climber. Professor Reed teaches Intro to Public Relations at Lipscomb while she successfully runs her PR agency, Reed PR. On the first day of class, Professor Reed told us she would be leaving in September to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Everyone had questions and concerns about her trip, but I got to sit down with her after her journey to talk about everything from hiking and heartbreak to human nature. “This is my first time ever doing something like this but I knew I wanted to do it.” Reed said, “This very spur of the moment. I’m not a climber, and hiking is very new to me.” Reed is a member of the Entrepreneur Organization, or EO, a group of successful business owners. There was the talk amongst the group to go to Kenya to get some business insight on a local safari; a few discussed leaving a couple of weeks early to hike Kilimanjaro. This was the group she would later decide to climb with. Six members of EO set out to hike Kilimanjaro, but only three made it to the summit. After long days filled with hiking and altitude sickness mounting, the summit was seeming more and more elusive. The night the group was supposed to reach the summit, Reed had to come off the mountain. After days of climbing to reach 15,400ft. above sea level and with 4,000ft. to go to reach the summit, she had to turn back to get to a lower altitude...
by Bailey Burnett | Oct 29, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
The Turkish invasion of northern Syria has at least one Lipscomb student wondering if she’ll ever be able to visit her Kurdish relatives in the region. Rojeda Merani and her two siblings grew up in Bellevue, the children of Kurdish refugees who had fled the Kurdistan region of Syria. “My whole life it was always, God Bless America,” she said. “America allowed my dad to come over and find a job in Miami,” which opened the door for the opportunities the family now has. She said she is unsure what she feels after President Trump made a deal a couple of weeks ago with Turkey’s president that called for American forces to be withdrawn from a strip of northern Syria, allowing the Turks to launch artillery and air attacks and eventually come in on the ground, forcing the Kurdish occupants to flee. Those Kurds had been America’s allies in the defeat of ISIS, the radical and murderous Islamic State. About 11,000 ISIS troops had been captured by the Kurds and the Americans and were held in prisons in the section Turkey invaded. Many of those ISIS members were able to use the unrest to flee their prisons. Most of Merani’s cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents remained in Syria in the years since her father and some friends sought refuge in the U.S. Because of the U.S. pullout and the Turkish invasion of that part of Syria, those relatives have — like thousands of Syrian Kurds — fled to the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Kurdistan actually has borders inside Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, but that territory is not...
by Mckenzi Harris | Oct 24, 2019 | Galleries, News Slider, Student Spotlight
The Black Professional Organizational Fair provided Lipscomb students from diverse backgrounds and experiences the chance to get connected early in their chosen fields. Lipscomb’s Office of Intercultural Development and College of Business partnered together to host the fourth annual Black Professional Organizational Fair this past Tuesday. The event featured food from local black-owned businesses and representatives from various black professional organizations ready to meet, network & provide resources to students. Dean of Student Life, Prentice Ashford, pointed out that events like these are important for students to take advantage of, even if you’re nervous about approaching someone in your career field. “The fair is designed for students who are overwhelmed or for those who don’t know how to connect professionally,” Ashford said. “We try to make it intimate and small to where you feel like you can build the confidence to just keep making your way around.” Both local and national societies from a wide variety of fields provided networking opportunities to encourage students to join their organization. Among those in attendance were the National Association of Black Accountants, National Black Nurses Association, and the Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce. However, the connections and partnerships made at the fair shouldn’t stop here. “Make sure you follow up. Students who went to these tables should get their contact information and ask, ‘What would be the most appropriate method to follow up with you?’, Ashford said. Then, actually do that! And utilize the career center and OID on campus so we can hopefully get you ready to make a difference at one of these organizations.” If you have questions or want...
by Tia Calvin | Oct 22, 2019 | News Slider, Student Spotlight
American musician Shawn Amos once said, “Memphis is the place where rock was born and Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed. It’s full of contradictions, abject poverty, and riches that only music can provide.” Lipscomb’s Office of Intercultural Development and Law, Justice, and Society program invited students to Memphis over fall break to witness this city’s unique dichotomy. Students first visited Beale Street, named by CNN Travel as one of the most iconic streets in America. These three blocks in the heart of downtown Memphis gave students a glimpse into the place where blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll were founded. “As a music lover, I felt like I could feel my roots on Beale Street. It was heavily influenced by the past and that’s where most of today’s music comes from. Memphis is soul and you could feel it when you walked those streets,” senior Noah Kimbrough said. But, the ultimate purpose of the trip was to give students tangible insight into the struggles, sacrifices, and successes of the Civil Rights era and the people who gave the movement life. The National Civil Rights museum stands in conjunction to the Lorraine Motel, the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. Each exhibit within shows a different aspect of African American history, from transatlantic slavery of the early 1600s to the beginning of the Obama Administration in 2012. With a recent 200 million dollar update, the museum uses modern technology, live exhibits, artifacts, and film to give students an immersive look at Civil Rights. Lipscomb junior Eden Melles said that “the trip gave her a...
by Mckenzi Harris | Oct 3, 2019 | Student Spotlight
Bring your own blanket and join Lipscomb’s Delta Omega for a ‘Hocus Pocus’ movie night that reinforces the club’s commitment to Best Buddies. Delta Omega philanthropy chair Erin Whiting said plans for the movie night began in the summer, and the club pondered which movie to show for this autumn celebration. “We talked about how the Buddies really like ‘Hocus Pocus’ and ‘Nightmare before Christmas,’ and (we) decided to go with ‘Hocus Pocus,'” she said. The event will take place in the Quad, with snacks and s’mores beginning at 6:30 p.m. this evening and the movie starting at 7 p.m. The cost is a “pay-what-you-can” donation to benefit Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a nonprofit global volunteer movement whose goal is to establish one-on-one friendships, employment, leadership development and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the organization. Lipscomb has an on-campus Best Buddies chapter that includes associate members and one-on-one Buddies. Delta Omega has been working with Best Buddies since 2013, and the club’s involvement is expanding. “One of the changes I have made as philanthropy chair for Delta Omega is getting more involved with them as members, going to their parties and hanging out with them more,” said Whiting, of the relationship between the Greek Club and Best Buddies. “We used to do a fundraiser with Best Buddies, ‘Mr. Lipscomb,’ but weren’t very involved with them,” Whiting said. “That [Best Buddies] was one of the reasons I wanted to join Delta Omega, so I changed that fundraiser to ‘Hocus Pocus,’ so we can hang out with them more.” To find out more about...
