This past summer, students from St. Joseph’s University, New York traveled across Austria and Germany as part of the University’s Global Studies program. Over the course of their two-week trip, students and faculty visited several cities across the two countries where they experienced diverse cultures and cuisines and reflected on impactful historical moments that hold relevance to this day.
At the White Rose Museum at the University of Munich, for example, students learned about a resistance group of college students and faculty who opposed the Nazis during World War II. Despite being decades apart in age and living halfway around the world, SJNY students found themselves identifying with young adults who stood up for what they believed in during such a pivotal time in history.
“Visiting Germany and Austria was a memorable experience that forever changed me,” said SJNY student Gabrielle Andreacchi ‘26. “I learned how important education truly is and the importance of using that education as a tool to speak up to prevent history from repeating itself.”
Nerissa Aksamit, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, and Jacqueline Volpicella, LCSW, assistant teaching professor of psychology, served as the trip’s faculty advisers.
“I think that’s what these programs are for — to learn about the past, understand the present and connect with people in new and transformative ways,” said Dr. Aksamit.
Dr. Aksamit brings her expertise in modern European history and World War II to the Global Studies program, guiding students as they connect their classroom experiences with the sites they visit during the trip.
“During the two weeks abroad, I had the pleasure of watching our students engage with sites that provoke intense emotions, and open up about their own understanding and interpretation of the past and present, and emerge as global citizens,” she said.
According Dr. Aksamit, this was the second time she and Volpicella have supervised the program.
In Berlin, students explored memorials, exhibitions and museums including the Jewish Museum and the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, which is located on the site of a former concentration camp. In Nuremberg, students visited the former Nazi Party rally grounds and the Palace of Justice where the historic Nuremberg trials were held in 1945-1946.
The trip concluded in Austria, where students visited the Vienna’s Viktor Frankl Museum and Sigmund Freud Museum.
Throughout the journey, students and faculty bonded in meaningful ways.
“Together we laughed, cried, had great conversations, enjoyed amazing food, and walked through some of the most impressive cities in Europe,” Dr. Aksamit shared.
By the time they returned home, it was clear that this year’s trip left a lasting impression on both students and faculty, reinforcing the value of global education and cultural exchange.
“It was a wonderful experience, and I cannot wait to work on a third trip,” Dr. Aksamit concluded.
More information on SJNY’s Global Studies program can be found here.
Photos from this year’s Global Studies Germany-Austria trip:
