Art is important. Art matters. And yet, so often, art seems expensive and out of reach. We go to Art Hops, or art fairs, or find that little pottery place on our travels, and buy what we can to bring color and life and art to our homes. We rent art from the local university for a term or more, head to the annual sales at the art insitute. We devour art at museums, stare at that van Gogh, tears fall upon seeing that Bierstadt you've loved your whole life, chuckle at the poker dogs, teach our kids to love art as much as we do. 

Cast your mind back 15 years to the turn of the millennium. You would go on holiday with your family or friends, you would pick out a snazzy postcard, you would write a heartfelt message, and you would drop it in the post for those who couldn’t make the trip. For a wandering educator such as yourself, this may be a pleasant trip down memory lane – for the students of today, this would probably be met with “But why wouldn’t you just send a selfie?”

With over 20 years of experience in the field of International Education, Kurt Olausen is currently serving as Director of Study Abroad at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston, IL. Kurt has worked in the field of Education Abroad since 1994 beginning with a position at James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA). He served as Assistant Director in the Office of Study Abroad at Duke University (Durham, NC) for 10 years, and, most recently, as Director of International Programs at the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) from 2007-2012.

Do you love haunted hikes? I both love them and get scared, which I guess is a sign of their greatness. Whilst in Fredericton, New Brunswick (a town I dearly love and can't recommend enough) this summer, a local theatre group, the Calithumpians, took us all around town and scared and creeped us out - with spooky stories of history, mayhem, and murder. A graveyard was visited (holy smokes!).

Lindsey Marie Miller has been working over 10 years with school age children, in a variety of roles, ranging from tutor to school-age director and everywhere in between. Lindsey currently serves as a Coordinator for Early Childhood & School Age Programs at Providence Connections, Inc. Read her interview below: 

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Dave Coplan is the Executive Director of the Human Services Center and Director of the Mon Valley Providers Council. The Human Services Center was honored as the recipient of the 2004 Wishart Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management awarded by The Forbes Funds of The Pittsburgh Foundation. In 2012, Dave was the inaugural recipient of the statewide CAAP Sargent Shriver Community Service Award.

An excerpt from You’re the Best: A Celebration of Friendship

Twenty years ago, my friend Sarah sent out an email to her college buddies to get together for a women’s weekend. Newly single with two young children, she wanted time with her friends. A smallish group showed up for support, and we’ve been meeting ever since. I couldn’t make that first meeting and missed a few others while living abroad, but my friends have always saved me a place.

Land of castles, fairytales, bratwurst, and beer, Germany is a destination hotspot for many travelers. While roaming the German countryside by train with nothing but a pair of boots and a backpack is an adventure that draws a growing number of high school graduates from overseas, not many consider taking a road trip instead. Why not? Germany is near legendary for its wonderful road systems, and taking a car allows you to enjoy an ease of exploration you won’t be able to experience by train.