After setting sail with Semester at Sea, Jenn Hicks realized what she wanted more than anything was to travel.
Jenn Hicks has visited 47 countries and 47 states. She's taken nine sailing voyages and frequent road trips in her Airstream trailer—all because of Semester at Sea.
A Semester at Sea promo video stopped Jenn in her tracks at a student information day on her college campus. The video highlighted the importance of travel to broaden one's horizons. Jenn's interest was piqued.
Sailing with Semester at Sea as a student on the Spring 1991 voyage kicked off several firsts for Jenn. It was the first time she'd been outside of the U.S. without her family, and the first time she realized what she wanted to do more than anything else was travel.
"After that, anytime someone asked me if I wanted to travel somewhere, I'd say yes before they told me where," Jenn says. "It's OK to not really know where you're going. The adventure is in getting there."
Jenn is passionate about making sure students continue to have the opportunity to experience Semester at Sea. That's why she's endowed two scholarship funds.
"When I hear from students how much their Semester at Sea experiences mean to them, I feel good about supporting the program," Jenn says.
As President Gary Ransdell likes to say, "As long as there are oceans, there will be Semester at Sea." But this permanency is only possible with your support (which includes estate provisions). Contact Planned Giving Team at giving@isevoyages.org or to learn how you can help future students set sail.