Few would deny that the student experience here at WashU provides a plethora of opportunities for growth. For many of us, the first year is especially full of possibility, and even before stepping foot on campus freshmen are afforded the chance to explore their interests by applying for a FOCUS program. FOCUS seminars are exclusively for first year students, and they provide a unique setting for the intellectual and personal development we all search for in our college years. FOCUS Argentina is one of a handful of such programs, and it takes students on a journey through the history and literature of Argentina, as well as Uruguay, over the course of a year.
The trip to Argentina takes place after classes have ended in May, the culmination of a year of hard work in the seminar. The students engage in a variety of activities: a visit to the Fulbright Commission in Uruguay, a service leaning experience at a school in Montevideo, a stop at a former Argentinian detention center, tango lessons, and horseback riding are just the beginning. For Peter Rakita, who went on the trip last summer, dinner with a family acquaintance connected the course with the lived-experiences of Argentinian citizens, and turned out to be the most memorable part of the trip.
Read the full story in Arts & Sciences: From ‘Gauchos’ to ‘Goles’: FOCUS Argentina.