St. Brendan High students visit Chicago

By Tracey Taylor - St. Brendan HS

MIAMI| It is never too early to plan for college. That is why this October, 18 underclassmen from St. Brendan High School’s Alpha program went on a four-day college tour of Chicago. 

The trip was organized and chaperoned by Lily Kirschner-Sanchez, the school’s Alpha director and sophomore guidance counselor, and Principal Jose Rodelgo-Bueno.  

"I wanted to expose the students to the culture and history of Chicago, while also enlightening them to the possibilities of colleges/universities outside of Florida,” said Kirschner-Sanchez. 

After touring the University of Chicago, Loyola at Chicago, and Northwestern, freshman Sophia Acosta said, “I saw how it would be like to live on campus in a big city compared to living in the outskirts of the city; I liked the big campus setting as it felt more like a college atmosphere.” 

The students also toured the Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, Willis Tower, Holy Name Cathedral, Millennium Park and Frank Lloyd Wright’s house. Millennium Park emerged as a favorite, as the students enjoyed the combination of stunning architecture, sculpture and landscape design of downtown Chicago. 

“The Bean was also so amazing,” said Sophia Acosta, referring to the mirrored bean-shaped sculpture in Millennium Park. “You could see the whole skyline of the city.”

Last year, the Alpha group traveled to San Francisco to visit Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley.

“This trip not only expanded their horizons, but the students also learned a lot about themselves and it provided them with an opportunity for personal growth,” said Kirschner-Sanchez.

St. Brendan High hopes to continue yearly college trips outside of Florida.