Founded in 2012, The Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies has allowed students to develop diverse viewpoints through the various programs and experiences it offers. Their mission is to develop leaders who learn and explore the world and the environment. Every year, The Alvord Center offers various domestic and overseas trips, where students are immersed in different cultural and ecological contexts. 

Ms. Marley Matlack, director of the Alvord Center, highlighted the benefits of the Alvord Center trips. “By immersing students in different cultural and ecological contexts, they don’t just learn about issues, they experience them and are more likely to act on them. This type of experiential learning fosters empathy and helps students develop skills or build confidence to become problem-solvers and advocates,” she said.

Although the destinations of the trips vary year by year, all these trips share the same purpose: to build empathy, deepen cross-cultural understanding, develop skill, and take action. “[We hope students] return with a deeper commitment to the common good, equipped with adaptable skills like cross-cultural communication, self-reflection, and critical thinking through a global lens,” comments Ms. Matlack.

Ashley Jun ‘26, who participated in the overseas trip to Iceland in June 2024, remarked how the trip not only helps to create long-lasting memories and friendships, but also helps to fulfill academic interests. “At the end of the trip, we even paired up to create sustainability projects inspired by Iceland that we can do back at school. Some of these projects were carried out last Earth Week,” she said. 

Not only was Ashley able to create an impact at school through the experience, she also touched upon how the interactive learning in the trip has helped her learn more about the various cultures. She recalled, “Through interactive experiences that I would never imagine [doing in] Loomis, I was able to learn more about the environment. [The] trip was also the truest form of cultural exchange: being able to learn and interact with different types of people in this world.”

These experiences demonstrate firsthand the Alvord Center’s mission of transforming curiosity into responsibilities through immersive learning. By stepping out of the classroom into unfamiliar environments, students return not just with memories but also with a different perspective and a deeper knowledge in their interests.