Lisa Slavid

Lisa Slavid named Semester at Sea as the beneficiary of her IRA.

While a picture can be worth a thousand words, an experience is beyond words to Lisa Slavid. Lisa, a four-time staff member of Semester at Sea, believes in the power of experiential learning. She says each place she's been has had something to teach her—something that could never have been learned from a textbook or the media.

One of Lisa's key takeaways from each voyage has been the power Semester at Sea has to transform people and broaden their perspectives.

"It's definitely an experience that introduces you to things you didn't know that you didn't know," says Lisa, who sailed most recently in Fall 2017 as Assistant Executive Dean. "There are so many beautiful people in so many beautiful places and not any one cultural 'right' way of doing things."

Amazing sights, lessons and cultures weren't the only things Lisa observed on each voyage. She also saw the benefit of leaving a planned gift in her estate plan to Semester at Sea. A longtime supporter, Lisa named Semester at Sea the beneficiary of her IRA for its unrestricted use. This type of gift is a flexible and tax-smart way to make an impact.

"I want others to have the chance to go and explore the world from a critical-thinking perspective but also an openhearted one," Lisa says. "Every student is a seed to something. You don't know what your gift can help someone go on to do."

Help Future Generations Set Sail

Planned gifts like Lisa's help sustain Semester at Sea. With your generosity, we move closer to raising 55 planned gifts in honor of our 55 th anniversary. Contact Planned Giving Team, at or giving@isevoyages.org to learn how you can help the next group of students set sail.