The University of Minnesota, Crookston will send approximately 30 students on the upcoming Students Today Leaders Forever Pay It Forward Tour, which begins on Friday, March 12. Over a nine-day period, the students will travel by bus visiting six cities, ending in Washington, D.C. The team of students will volunteer in the cities they visit and learn about area cultures and social issues.
The U of M, Crookston has sent a group of students on this Pay It Forward Tour for the last four years. Advisor Lisa Samuelson, director of student activities, said her student chairs organize everything from choosing the sites and locating lodging to shopping for food and setting up evening activities.
Student leader and Senior Kate Bentley, a communication major from St. Paul, Minn., said it's an inspiring experience. “You’re helping a lot of people that need it," she said. "It’s something that doesn’t take a lot of time but makes a big impact.”
Other student leaders include senior Nik Jiran, an aviation major from Hayden, Idaho; sophomore Joe Harren, an agronomy major from Eagle Bend, Minn.; and junior Steffane Prestidge, a hotel, restaurant, and institutional management major from Buffalo, Minn.
Cities the students will be visiting include Duluth, Minn.; Kenosha, Wis.; Sandusky, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; New Haven, Conn.; and finally Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit http://www.stlf.net/chapters/umc/events/umc-tour
The Pay It Forward Tour is a multi-day, multi-city experience engages students in service and leadership, travel to and service in a new city each day, learning about social issues, building lasting relationships, and making a commitment to continued action when they return home. All College Pay It Forward Tours travel to six cities across the country over the course of nine days. Each tour consists of up to 40 students. Every Tour is open to students from any school. There is also a Pay It Forward program for high school and middle school students.
The Pay It Forward Tour is a program provided through Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF). STLF was founded in 2003 by Irene Fernando, Nick Lindberg, Greg Tehven, and Brian Peterson, son of Bill Peterson, U of M, Crookston professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department. These four students were college freshmen who dreamed of a way to make a difference. Their mission is to reveal leadership through service, relationships, and action. There are two main components of STLF: Pay It Forward Tours (for middle school through college students) and High School Leadership Camps. To learn more about STLF and the Pay It Forward Tours, visit www.stlf.net
