GO! Trip to Navajo, New Mexico

One of the best things that Fordham has to offer is its Global Outreach (GO!) program. This program is completely unique to Fordham and gives students the opportunity to travel all over the world. There are trips to India, Romania, Guatemala, Mexico, and even ones within the US including Nashville, New Orleans, San Diego, and New Mexico. These are just a handful of the many trips to choose from.

GO! is not an ordinary club or organization that you would typically find on a college campus. It is completely student-run and organized and is centered on service to others as well as community, simple living and spirituality. Every week throughout the semester, you will meet with the eleven other people going on your project and get the chance to build amazing friendships with them. This way by the time the trips comes around, you know your team very well and cannot wait to spend an entire week with them.

The beautiful reservation in Navajo, New Mexico

In May I had the opportunity of going on a GO! trip to Navajo, New Mexico. Navajo is home to the Navajo Native Americans in northern New Mexico right on the border of Colorado. My team and I stayed with a welcoming Native American on his reservation that has been in his family for multiple generations. This trip was not only a chance for my team and I to bond and form life-long friendships, but it was also an educational experience. I learned about some of the injustices that Native Americans have faced in the past and how I can help change the dialogue about the way in which people speak about Native Americans. I also learned a lot about their unique culture, which included emersion trips to Pow Wows where more than twenty different Native American clans would gather together and join in traditional dances and other festivities. Living in a tent on a beautiful piece of land for more than a week with my closest friends and learning about a culture completely different from my own is an experience that I am thankful to Fordham for giving me.

My GO! team and I on our last day in Navajo before heading back to Fordham

The great thing about GO! is that you do not have to say goodbye to the wonderful people that you went on the trip with once you return to Fordham. All of a sudden you have a close-knit group of friends that live right on campus with you that you can talk about this unforgettable experience with. I could not recommend more highly getting involved with GO! before your time at Fordham is complete.

Blog By: Abby Collins