Students studying abroad in Pepperdine’s Switzerland program went on their Spring Educational Field Trip (EFT) to Kenya from Feb. 9, through Feb. 18.
Ezra Plank is the director of the Switzerland program and was responsible for organizing the trip. He said that planning for the trip began two years ago to ensure the students could have the best possible experience.
“With a trip like this, the advance preparation is intense,” Plank said. “One factor that makes it hard is the size of the group. Another challenge is making time to provide students an introduction of the overall arc of the experience and our educational objectives.”
The trip was divided into two parts. The first part was spent at the Brackenhurst Conference Center in Limuru, Kenya. This part of the trip was focused on giving students opportunities to engage with the local community. Those opportunities ranged from working with the environment through planting trees to working with kids with special needs.
Sophomore Hannora Race spent her time working with the Center for Ecological Restoration. She said she chose this engagement area because she holds a deep appreciation for nature and enjoys being outside.
“I loved getting to know different people and working with trees,” Race said. “I enjoyed my experience since we got to interact with locals and learn from their wealth of knowledge. We got to put our energy to good use, and it’s beautiful to put work into something that will outlive our lifetime.”
Students spent the second part of the trip out in the Mara getting to experience game drives and interacting with the Maasai. The Mara is a wildlife conservation area in Kenya. Students were split into four different camps at the Maasai Conservancy, enabling them to have the time to interact with each other in smaller groups.
Sophomore Brantley Holladay said being surrounded by nature was her favorite part of the game drives.
“Seeing the animals in their natural habitat was truly amazing and breathtaking,” Holladay said. “Even when we did not see animals, it was serene and peaceful being in nature and watching the sunrise and sunset. It was a moment where I was able to be fully present and take in everything that I saw.”
Holladay said the game drives enhanced her experience because she was able to learn how the Kenyans care for their wildlife and environment.
Sophomore Jace Evans said he found learning from the Maasai about their coexistence with nature was the most impactful thing he took away from the experience.
“From taking the time to learn about other cultures, like the Maasai, we can discover just how big the world is,” Evans said. “Learning about other cultures reminds us that difference does not mean inferiority. Instead, it invites questioning and curiosity that can shape our respect and understanding for people that may not be the same as us.”
At the end of the ten days, students said they left Kenya with new knowledge and once-in-a-lifetime memories.
“I love taking students to Kenya because it’s the most immersive, comprehensive and experiential excursion that I can organize,” Plank said. “The Kenyan experience is bigger than just information — it provides experiences alongside Kenyan people to learn about their lives and to help us grow.”
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Contact Alicia Dofelmier via email: alicia.dofelmier@pepperdine.edu
