The first week of Summer Discovery London has been off to a lovely start. The students arrived on Saturday and we kicked things off with ice breakers and a pizza party. Due to our awesome location, right next to Westfield Stratford City mall, students were able to settle in right away after a few quick trips to pick up groceries, fans, and other necessities.
Sunday morning was spent in orientation at INTO City U London, where business-track students take class each day and interns meet weekly for their Career Development Series. INTO is located by Spitalfields market and the Shoreditch neighborhood, making it one of the coolest places in London to hang out. In the afternoon, our interns did dry runs of their internships. With RCs at their side, they traipsed across the city to find their summer work places. With interns working in fields from culinary, fashion, finance, education, to medicine, students intern in all corners of London. Finally, Sunday night concluded with dinner at Planet Hollywood in Piccadilly Circus. There was wide-eyes and smiles on the students’ faces as they took in London’s Time Square for the first time.
Internships began on Monday morning. Every student made it to their internship on their own, which is a true accomplishment. The Business Track students began their coursework at City U and got meet their instructor for the summer, Zainab! After work, each RC group did a different activity together. Lawerences’ group competed in a bowling competition. Sara’s group got dinner at a pub, followed by a walk along London’s South Bank. Brittany’s group took a boat tour along the Thames. Megan’s group got tea and cake at the pastel bakery Peggy Porshen. Jordan’s group took on the Leake Street Graffiti Tunnel. It’s a tunnel where anyone can come and make their mark on London. These boys certainly did! You can check a video of their adventure here.
Tuesday was a big day for our Business Track students. They spent the morning in class with a guest lecturer, before they took a field trip to nearby Chiswick to see entrepreneurship and business in action. They took a Fuller’s Griffin Brewery Tour. They got to learn about the product history, brewing process and techniques, and learn about the way the product has adapted to the changing market. They did this all while sporting bright orange vests! In the evening, interns and business students took an optional trip to Leicester Square. This gave participants the opportunity to check out both the theater district and Chinatown. We will be returning to the theater district on Friday to see Mamma Mia!.
On Wednesday, our interns took their first course in the Career Development Series. They discussed Goal Setting. This week they also completed their first journal assignment. Our interns receive three college credits from Marist College during the summer which is quite an accomplishment. Additionally, after their class, several students took a tour of London’s iconic Tower Bridge. They had a lot of fun getting a unique view of the city and eating some rolled ice cream. Here is a video of their adventures.
Finally, Thursday brought another day of London adventures. Several students spent a night at the movies, watching Spiderman: Far From Home or Yesterday. Another group watched the sunset from the top of the Shard- London’s tallest building.
It’s been such a great week so far here in London! We are so excited for what the weekend holds. We’ll have students taking in the Changing of Guards at Buckingham Palace, looking for funky finds at Camden Market, punting at Cambridge, hanging on the beach at Brighton, touring Windsor Castle, and sipping tea in Oxford. Each day here is full of so many possibilities and new opportunities for discovery. Check back Sunday night to hear how our weekend goes!