Clinton Lake, Ill. — International Student and Scholar Services and International Education hosted the final summer break trip on July 29.
Students and some staff members loaded up water, snacks and games inside four shuttle buses, they piled in and traveled to the beach and recreation area at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area in DeWitt, Illinois.
After a 45-minute drive and paying $2 to get onto the beach, students swam, lay in the sand, some played frisbee, some listened to music, some hiked or kayaked, one fell asleep on a blanket, and others just walked around.
Overall, it was a solid day at the beach.
Kimberly Yau, the associate director for training and programming in International Student and Scholar Servicessaid ISSS and IE take trips to places that students can’t easily access by bus or train during the school year and especially during the summer months.
“We know that students go to Chicago often, but we want to show them places that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see,” Yau said.
That’s when visits to state and national parks or visits to other nearby cities like St. Louis or visits to
area recreational lakes like Clinton Lake become go-to spots.
Yau said parks, for example, are always great and provide something for everyone like kayaking, hiking or just relaxing.
That’s exactly what students did on July 29 when they visited Clinton Lake.
Although the trip was the last one for the summer, Yau said they will continue to do programming and events on and off campus during the fall semester.
For example, on August 31 ISSS and IE will help sponsor the International Students Unpacking event, which is an interactive event intended to help
international students understand communication styles in the U.S. and show them what they can expect.
Then in October there will be an International Cook-off from Oct. 17 through Oct. 21. Information on that will be forthcoming.
For more information on ISSS or IE events check out the calendar on the ISSS website (https://calendars.illinois.edu/list/3715), or you can find blog posts about the events at the Illinois International
website (https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/6758).