By OLIVER IDZIKOWSKI, VIVIAN KOPKA, and COOPER RATHMANN
Environmental Exploration
While many of the other symposiums focused on world-wide exploration, “Into the Boundary Waters and Beyond” focuses on a wilderness adventure much closer to home. Early in the morning of November 5, creative writing professor Christopher Fink began the events by introducing Ezekiel Kingsbury’25 and Jaelin Hensley’25 and their presentation Buggin’ Out in the Boundary Waters. All of the presentations concerned student’s time at the Coe College’s Wilderness Field Station in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but Buggin’ Out in the Boundary Waters really leaned into the “ruffin’ it” aspect of the journey. This isn’t unjustified as Kingsbury details the multiple canoe trips that he undertook, sparing none of the dirt, rain, and rapids that needed to be traversed. Both of the presenters still look back fondly on the trip and appreciate lessons about insect biology they learned.
The next presentation was Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone: Writing In The Boundary Waters by Julia Weber’27 (Vanessa Skildum’27 was planned to present but was absent due to sickness). They began by detailing their initial unfamiliarity with canoeing and camping before positively reporting on the experience as a whole. Aside from a capsizing incident, those who went on this trip seemed to live in relative comfort, with Christopher Fink doubling as both the leader and the chef of the trip. The slideshow concluded with Weber doing a reading of the poetry they developed over their time in the wilderness.
CORRECTION: In the print version, it was written that Julia Weber’27 was out sick and Vanessa Skildum’27 was present. That was a mistake, It was Weber who was present, and Skildum who was out sick.
The final portion of the symposium was led by Abhey Guram’25 who discussed the connection between his trip to the boundary waters and Washington D.C. His participation in these trips was motivated by his project “Turning the Tide: Is the Time Right Now?” which concerned the challenges facing the Ojibwe people. The slides were decorated with group selfies taken out in the wilderness that were succeeded by photos of crowded and urban scenes taking place in the capital.
Impact of Foreign Exchange
On Tuesday, November 5, many Beloiters presented their experiences with internships, studying abroad, and a plethora of other opportunities. Classes were canceled to give all students an opportunity to learn from these presentations. At 8:50 a.m., three students shared their experiences studying abroad in the Morse Library.
Ojaswi Dhakal’25, Rafaella ‘Rafa’ Pavarini de Souza’25, and Joonas Briggs’25 went to France, Argentina, and Spain, consecutively.
Ojaswi went to Aix-en-Provence, located in the South of France. She mostly shared how she fully took advantage of traveling around Europe. She went to many places all throughout France, whether that be in varying cities like Lyon, Marseilles, or Paris. She was also able to visit a significant chunk of continental Europe like countries and cities like Germany, Budapest, Prague, and countless other places in Europe. She also educated her audience on Erasmus, an international group of students studying in Europe. Erasmus helped her connect with people all over the continent, further aiding her to travel on a budget during her breaks from classes.
On another continent, Rafa studied at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Spring of 2024. She presented on the economic and political turmoil going on in the country. The current president, Javier Milei, was voted in in November of 2023. Milei is an extremist right-wing president and self-proclaimed “capitalist anarchist,” a stark difference from the decades of left-winged presidents and the previous president Alberto Fernandez. Milei has vowed to restore the country, and to make Argentina rich again. He vowed to realize that promise by proposing very extreme goals like eliminating the central bank (Argentine pesos) and replacing it with USD. So far, he has achieved a surplus in the Argentinian fiscal balance, for the first time since 2012, although currently the prices of goods are still high and salaries are very low. Rafaella reflected on this, understanding that although Milei had differing views to her, she understands how he has inspired a country of people. During her time in Buenos Aires, she worked to help poor communities in the large city, specifically a man who did not have access to a sanitary bathroom. In response to this, she helped construct a bathroom and shower area that would work for 10 years.
Finally, Joonas shared his experience in Murcia, Spain. Joonas studied at El Centro La Fama. He presented on the differences between Spain and the U.S. and shared some history of the area. Spain has a parliamentary government, they have a king and a prime minister. Because of the Moors takeover in 711 AD, 768 years before Spain formed (1479 AD), architectural influences in Murcia are of Arabic and North African influences.
To reflect, Joonas encourages people to present for Beloit and Beyond if they get the opportunity. “It was a pretty good experience. At first, I didn’t want to do it, but once you do it and present it’s kind of fun.”
Featured Image: Cole Miller’27 presenting for Beloit & Beyond, via Beloit College
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