Around the world and back

A look at Ms. Buchanan, Travel Club
By Jonathon Chiu

Ms. Buchanan has gone a long way in revolutionizing the Travel Club. Photo: Stephany Zuniga

Ever since taking a trip to Costa Rica in high school almost 30 years ago, Ms. Buchanan has had the desire to travel across the world and meet new people. 
   Now an English Language Arts teacher for Freedom High School, this drive to travel has continued to flourish as the head of the Travel Club, a position she was given following her arrival to Freedom. She has also been open to ideas from students in regards to what the Travel Club can do to better the experience, with international trips being one of these student contributions.
   “I was arranging field trips for students and they wanted to take international field trips,” Ms. Buchanan said, “I had a group of students who came to me in 2016 and we planned where we’d go for the first field trip.” 
   Now, Ms. Buchanan is coordinating with Education First, the same travel company that allowed her to travel to Costa Rica, on taking a trip to Japan in the summer of 2024. She has also not forgotten the contributions of students in making it to this point. 
  “I’m so proud I could cry,” said Ms. Buchanan, when asked about the contributions of students to the Travel Club; “they have all the right ideas about wanting to learn more and experience new cultures and appreciate culture from the perspective of others.”
   The recent pandemic, which caused a halt to international travel, became a prime example of the contributions of students in finding solutions to continue to experience new cultures, such as going to local restaurants and planning student exchanges.
     The student members of the club also expressed similar sentiments of gratitude to Ms. Buchanan in making the club “a great experience.”
   “I think the way Ms. Buchanan runs things ... [is] very beneficial… and helpful” said Genesis Garcia, club president, adding that she is a “very dependable person that we, the people of the travel club, could go to [for help].”

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