Shenandoah University’s 2026 Global Citizenship Project participants learned where they will spend spring break next March during the university’s 35th International Convocation on Nov. 19. Those 50 individuals, split into five groups, will travel to Slovakia, Hong Kong, Saint Lucia, Cuba, and Kenya.

Shenandoah’s 2026 GCP participants, which include students, faculty and staff members, were selected in October but did not know which international destination they will travel to until the countries were revealed at International Convocation, which took place in Hazel-Pruitt Armory, home of the Hub for Innovators, Veterans and Entrepreneurs (HIVE). The individuals who will travel to each of the five destinations are listed below.

Slovakia

Trip leader: Alanna Tierno

Tim Blumenschine, Julianna Chaney, Patrick Coffron, Kayley Cruz, Kathy Evans, Megan Killian, William Maceyak, Ella-Jo Reinhart, Aidan Robbins, and Caitlyn Sweet.

Hong Kong

Trip leader: Diego Marcos

Michael Clay Jr., Marisa Cornell, Ella Gibson, Zoey Lyons, Lauren Mason, Patrick Orender, Marissa Overbaugh, Zara Risoldi Cochrane, Matthias Rivera, and Tammy Zukowski.

Saint Lucia

Trip leader: Miles Davis

Daniel Basil-Barker, Evan Beacom, Michael Bermudez, Michaela Brown, Aaruni Choudhary, Veronica Cooker, William Harrigan, Brooke Moses, Elmira Sedaghat, and Tegan Smith.

Cuba

Trip leader: Bryan Pearce-Gonzalez

Nessa Abankwa, Georgia Amacker, William Chan, Myklin Davis, Dez Jenkins, Beth Jones, Abigail Lezama, Brittany Moats, Valeria Perez, and Mary Ruth Williams.

Kenya

Trip leader: Katie Bain

Darian Angel, Emily Dendis, McKenna Iseminger, Simran Maggo, Brock McCullough, Ariadna Sanchez, Carter Sand, CJ Stoker, Lucas Weber, and Gale Wolfle.

This year’s International Convocation, which took place during International Education Week, featured global cuisine, cultural attire, drumming, henna art, calligraphy, and a green-screen photo booth before Shenandoah President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D., announced the GCP groups and their destinations.

A recording of the GCP announcement is available on Shenandoah University’s YouTube channel.

Other International Education Week events held at Shenandoah included a Japanese tea demonstration, the “Our World, Our Role: A Dialogue on Global Citizenship” event, and the “Building Our Own Mosaic” event.

Shenandoah University’s Global Citizenship Project began in 2005, thanks to a gift from Dr. Nancy Larrick Crosby, a longtime friend and former trustee of the university, and is supported by the generosity of university donors.

GCP has sent over 1,400 students, staff, faculty, and trustees on university-funded trips to over 70 countries and seven U.S. states and territories so that each participant might learn more about the world and themselves. 

To learn more about GCP, visit su.edu/gcp.