This fall semester fourteen Augsburg students will be paddling their way 1,000 miles down the Mississippi River in large canoes in less than a four month period. The students will be taking a full course load while experiencing a once in a lifetime adventure. The trip will kick off September 1st right here in Minneapolis.
The Augsburg River semester has already caught a lot of attention and has been featured in multiple different media outlets; Bring Me The News, StarTribune, MPR, and Augsburg College.
The exciting part is that StepUP has three students participating in this adventure. Pictured to the right is Izzie S., Glen G., and Ricky T. I was able to sit down with all three to hear the excitement and hopes they have for their semester on the river.
Glen G. will be taking 16 credits while on the river which includes an Advanced Drawing class, two environmental sciences, and a political science class. When asked why he jumped at the chance to spend almost four months on the river he said, “I hope to help with the contemplation I have for my future plans and to grow my spiritual connection to the good outdoors”. He is also really looking forward to stopping in New Orleans, one of the many stops along the river.
Then there is Izzie S. who has a passion for the outdoors and hopes to gain new friends, better team building experience, a more thorough knowledge of this country
geographically and historically, amazing memories, and some killer additions to her resume. She said yes to this adventure without any hesitation. She said, “I’m looking forward to getting really buff arms, having thanksgiving in New Orleans, and to have a story to tell for the rest of my life”.
Ricky T., who is taking a few independent studies while on the river has always had a deep connection with the wilderness. When he heard Augsburg was looking for a videographer he jumped on board. Ricky loves to be behind the lens of either the GoPro donated by the StepUP program to capture this journey or his own camera. Ricky, in his own words, is “Ultra involved” in the trip and is helping out with the technology on the river while capturing this once in a lifetime experience so he can relive it and hold on to this journey after it has come and gone. When asked what he was hoping to get out of the trip he said, “To find peace and serenity, to continue my personal growth and build character”. He is excited to see the change that comes out of this event.
Ricky has also created a documentary project called “Learning to Listen : A Semester on the River”. Where he interviewed some of the students participating in the river trip. At this time he is accepting donations to help with the cost of more equipment to capture the river journey.
An entire semester of college on a river is something I have never heard of until now. I am very excited for the return of these students to be able to hear the stories and experiences they had. It will be a memorable adventure for the three of them. I am looking forward to Ricky’s project capturing this experience. Ricky told me adversity builds character and so I am very excited to see the character change in my friends from this summer compared to when they come back to Minnesota.
-Blake Halvorson