Leadership Studies Program Travels to Seattle and Bikes Across Texas

(ABILENE, Texas)–Each semester, students from Hardin-Simmons University’s Leadership Studies program participate in travel opportunities around the globe. Two recent trips allowed students to experience the culture and art of Seattle, WA, and complete a 560-mile bike ride to raise money for cancer research.

Seattle

Over the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday, leadership students taking the Organization Builders course visited organizations and important sites in Seattle. In the class, students researched the history of the Puget Sound region, the establishment and development of Seattle, and individuals who affected popular culture, politics, and business. The week-long trip allowed the students to visit the locations they studied.

Students visited Seattle locations that they learned about in their Organization Builders course, including the Microsoft office.

Students experienced a vast array of businesses, including the original Starbucks, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, REI, Pike Place Fish Market, and the Columbia Center. They also visited several notable locations around the area, including Mount Rainier National Park, the Washington State Capitol, the Supreme Court Building in Olympia, the Space Needle, the Museum of History and Industry, the Museum of Pop Culture, the University of Washington, and many other notable attractions and historical sites.

“Going to Seattle was incredible! After spending a whole semester studying people and organizations that influenced the city and helped me learn so much more just through the hands-on experience,” said senior Abigale Kendall. “I love the leadership studies program because it has allowed me to experience things like the trip to Seattle and learn in ways that most people never get the chance to experience.”

Bike Ride Across Texas

Before HSU classes resumed in January, 13 leadership students and alumni participated in the program’s ninth long-distance Bike Ride Across Texas (BRAT). The BRAT is a staple of the Leadership Studies Program and allows students the opportunity to plan, organize, and execute complex projects.

Senior Ryanne Krueger unloads a bike upon returning from the 2019 bike ride.

The team began riding at the Red River near Quanah, TX and completed their ride at the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. In total, leadership students have covered 8,100 miles across Texas and seven other states during the nine trips.

The ride also served as a fundraiser for cancer research, as team members collected donations and shared the story of Officer Abigail Arias, who maintained her strong faith and concern for others during her battle with cancer. During the ride, team members also carried wooden blocks decorated with the names of friends and family members affected by cancer. The blocks will be arranged into a mosaic that will be displayed on the HSU campus.

Riders completed their January 2020 ride in Big Bend National Park

“Every year we do these rides, and every year we do it for a different cause,” said senior and BRAT veteran Ryanne Krueger. “The last two rides have inspired me to new levels. The year before last, we rode for a young man named Cooper, who was killed in an ATV accident, and this year we rode for those who are fighting or who have fought against cancer. These rides have given me a new perspective on life and have shown me that you don’t know when your last day will be. I have had to learn to stop dwelling on the bad things and live in the moment.”

Krueger continued, “these rides have taught me a lot about planning, organizing, and teamwork. It is a great way to see the state and the country from a new perspective. When you ride at 15 mph, you notice a lot more about the state.”

Along the way, several churches hosted and provided meals for the team, including First Baptist Church of Quanah, First Baptist Church of Hamlin, First Baptist Church of Sterling City, Eastside Baptist Church in McCamey, and Marathon Baptist Church in Marathon.

For more information about the Leadership Studies Program, visit the Leadership Studies page on the HSU website.