I've written a lot elsewhere about my experience with this program, and this box is limited. I will say here that this semester is crafted and procured by well-connected, kind, intelligent, and deeply committed people. This is not a program to travel every weekend or party. It is rigorous, and at many times difficult, rewarding experience; and requires a sacrifice of yourself for a greater common learning experience. You will learn about wrote things about politics, urban planning, anthropology. But you will see what that means for people in the world. You will understand the impact a person can/cannot have--and why. You will be asked to examine every part of yourself, but you do so in the space and comfort of people who share a similar quest for learning.

Being on the IHP: Cities in the 21st Century program allowed us to meet so many amazing social organisations, activists, and everyday heroes who were fighting for social justice everyday in their communities! From a famous graffiti artist in Sao Paulo to the current spokesperson for la PAH in Barcelona to a fisherman/activist/program coordinator in Cape Town, these humbling and enriching encounters could have never been possible without the deep networks that IHP has established in diverse local communities over many years. Learning through experiencing and speaking to people on the ground, while being able to live with local host families and see the beautiful landscapes of three other countries has been my most enriching and fulfilling academic and personal experience so far!