The English department gave Ian Connor the chance to fulfil his dream of going to Europe, learning more about his ancestry, and visiting places he has always dreamed of.

Connor, senior, was given the opportunity to see parts of Europe including Wales, Ireland and England, when Ms. Pettit put together a trip in 2012 that allowed any student to participate. He had always dreamed of traveling to Europe because he wanted to learn more about his English, Irish, Dutch and German ancestry.

The first time Connor went to England, Wales and Ireland, he was with classmates. He then decided to revisit Wales and England with his family because it was the last chance they had to spend time with him before he attends college. Connor constantly reminisces about his past vacations. He has adopted some of Europe’s own culture and added it to part of his life.

“I drink tea more often I can tell you that,” Connor said. “ I always crave stew, because you can’t get stew like you can in Ireland.”

One of Connor’s favorite memories is when he was pulled on stage to dance with world-class Irish dancers. He was able to do an Irish country dance and sing a song with them. Connor also enjoyed visiting William Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage at Stratford Upon Avon, a town in central England.

“Right across the way from Anne Hathaway’s cottage is this little tea room with the best rotisserie chicken I have ever had. They had the best mixed vegetables and amazing ice cream with the English style scoops. I just cannot get over how nice it was there,” Connor said.

According to Connor, there are many places he plans to travel to. He said he would go back to Europe but wants to visit other countries first and see more of the world.

“I expected [Europe] to be what it was,” Connor said. “I did not to expect the air to be so clean and smell so nice. I feel bad that I have not had that much of a change that impacted my worldviews. It’s all really been beneficial to me though and I’ve really been able to see the world in a new light and I’ve seen the good and the bad.”