Nineteen Cerritos College Students from all walks of life joined in Taichung, Taiwan, at Providence University for an experience of a lifetime.  On June 24, 2024, students arrived in the Taipei Airport where they were met by an enthusiastic team of student services professionals from Providence University, eager to kick off this 3-week cultural-immersion experience.

This unique study abroad non-credit experience, challenged students to adjust to life in a new country, learn introductory Mandarin, and make special connections with Providence University student TAs.

Living on-campus at Providence University, students spent their first 2 weeks learning Mandarin during the mornings, then leaving campus for cultural experiences and excursions throughout southern Taiwan. These activities included practicing Tai Chi and martial arts, exploring tea drinking culture, visiting historically significant temples and shrines, and traveling to nearby towns including Sun Lake Moon and Formosan Aboriginal Village.

During their final week in Taiwan, students helped facilitate a summer camp for local high school students, exchanging cultures, language, and music while building friendships and appreciation for one another's culture.

Check out the Providence Trip Youtube playlist.

From June 7-July 5, 2019, 26 Cerritos College students studied art and literature in our pilot program in Florence, Italy.

During summer session A, students enrolled in Dr. Lisa Boutin-Vitela’s Art History 102 or Dr. Steve Clifford’s hybrid English 102/English 110 classes, and after two weeks of preparatory study on campus, students and faculty boarded planes from LAX, arriving to study in Florence for the final 4 weeks of the summer session.

Living in apartments with their Cerritos peers in the heart of the Renaissance city, students attended classes and applied their art and literature study to visits to the great museums and churches of Florence. “I thought the Duomo was a great introduction to the spectacle that is Florence,” one student wrote in her program evaluation. “It was a great experience all around and was planned with a perfect balance of activities and freedom to explore.”

Florence site visits included the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Duomo, at the heart of the city; the Uffizi, Bargello, and Accademia Galleries for the art of Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Donatello; and a hike to the 1,000 year-old San Miniato al Monte church overlooking the city. Despite the European heat wave sending temps into the high 90s and low 100s, students engaged daily in the culture of Florence and in hands-on experience of their academic study. They also experienced opera and classical music performances during their stay.

Additionally, the faculty and students spent a whirlwind weekend in Rome, touring the Vatican museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as the Borghese Gallery, and visiting the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.

The program was “definitely much more culturally enriching than taking classes on campus,” a student wrote of the experience. “Not only did I learn and immerse myself in a new culture, but I also became more aware of myself and my perspective of the world. All in all, it was an interactive learning experience and a stepping stone in my career goals.”

Summing up the experience, one Cerritos student claims, “It is not just about classes. It is about young people dealing with real life situations and learning to deal with them. The Cerritos College staff is excellent but this program offers lessons one needs to learn outside the classroom.”