In the myExperience program, current juniors and seniors worked together to plan a trip to another city in the United States to learn more about the world through their specific lens. Within the program, there are four cohorts: Global Civic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Arts and Design, and STEM. The Global Civic Engagement cohort and the Entrepreneurship cohort went to New York City and the Arts and Design cohort and the STEM cohort went to Boston.
On Tuesday, May 30th, the myExperience cohorts set off on their summer excursions for two days with the Boston groups arriving in the afternoon and the New York groups in the evening. The plans that each group created were executed as soon as they arrived at their destinations.
Despite two cohorts going to New York City and two cohorts going to Boston, every cohort had their own distinct trip with a few joint activities. Not only did these cohorts enjoy spending their time in various locations, they gained valuable knowledge to be implemented in the projects they will be conducting senior year as well as their future career paths and interests.
While the trips were extremely impactful and enjoyable to all who attended, a lot of work went into the planning process. Some felt that the best part of the trip was getting to see their plans in action like Millie Malone (11) from the Global Civic Engagement cohort who said, “The myExperience trip was great because it was amazing seeing the culmination of all our hard work.” Following the trip, the juniors and seniors gave the sophomores some pieces of advice as they begin the process of choosing where they want to go for their trip.
Overall, the trip itself was an extremely positive and educational experience for the program members that made for a great inaugural myExperience trip. Students gathered so much information from the myExperience trip that they can now use in their daily lives. Campbell Wilson (11) of the Entrepreneurship cohort says, “We learned about taking risks because part of being an entrepreneur is taking risks because you could fail and that’s okay.”
Angela He (11) said, “It was definitely worth it though, despite being very tiring.” Mr. Simpson particularly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the students in this program better outside of the school context. The myExperience trip turned out to be very beneficial to all who attended. The stories that the students shared with the younger students sparked excitement leading up to the 2024 sophomore trip.
During their time in New York City, the Global Civic Engagement and Entrepreneurship cohorts visited the United Nations building where they were able to see where representatives from different countries convene to discuss world issues, attended an alumnae event where they were able to meet and talk with Hutchison graduates living in New York City, and saw the Broadway show Wicked.
Adeena Awan (11) from the Entrepreneurship cohort said, “My favorite part of the trip was Wicked and I thought that I wouldn’t like it, but I did.”
The trip to New York allowed students to go out of their comfort zones and try things they ordinarily would not. The Global Civic Engagement cohort toured the college NYU and visited the mayor’s office and the 9/11 memorial where they were able to engage in thoughtful discussions surrounding government and events in our nation’s history. They also went to the Ice Cream Museum, the Summit One Vanderbilt, and went shopping on Fifth Avenue which were cohort favorites. The Entrepreneurship cohort went on a guided tour of Wall Street where they learned about how stocks work and had the opportunity to see the Federal Reserve safe, toured Columbia University, and visited the Color Factory.
The STEM cohort visited the Museum of Science and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, toured Northeastern University, and went shopping on Newbury Street. Along with the Arts and Design cohort, they attended an alum event and a Red Sox game which was an all around favorite. Stephanie Park (11) from the STEM cohort was surprised by how much she enjoyed exploring the city of Boston. She said, “I think Boston was better than I expected because the subway was better than expected, the people were nicer than expected, and I liked the Boston Creme pie.”
While the STEM cohort was busy exploring the city of Boston through their lens, the Arts and Design cohort was busy looking at the city in an artistic manner. They visited Tufts School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, and Institute of Contemporary Art. They also attended the Sleeping Beauty Ballet which allowed them to see art in various forms. Angela He (11) from the Arts and Design cohort particularly enjoyed her time in the museums she went to in Boston.
Angela said, “We visited a lot of museums that were nice and we were allowed to bring sketchbooks with us and draw what we saw in the museums which was a different way of embracing them.”
