The traditionally long, lazy days of summer were still long but never lazy for several UNC students this year.
Some UNC students attempted to make this summer a learning experience far from crowded classrooms and away from the normal internship route.
While many students watched the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine escalate on television this summer, senior Toby Osofsky spent most of her summer in the dangerous region.
Osofsky, a biology major from New Jersey, took part in a program sponsored by N.C. Hillel and Hillel International that gave students the chance to explore the region and discuss the Middle East conflict with officials.
"We had the opportunity to discuss Israeli positions with the most intelligent and accurate people who were all very receptive to my opinions," she said.
Osofsky also had the opportunity to take courses at Tel-Aviv University while visiting the city and areas around the Gaza Strip -- a hot spot of terrorist activity.
"Naturally, we were a little scared and in shock for a while," Osofsky said. "But we realized that we came to try to make an impact and realized that life should go on."
Upon returning to the United States, Osofsky said she felt even more compassionate about educating others.
"A trip like this really helps to shape one's college experience," Osofsky said. "It affects the way you see yourself and the way you see other people, and I learned to never underestimate the power of word."
Other students this summer learned to never underestimate the power of hard work, especially UNC students who took part in an archaeological excavation on the island of Crete.
This was the first season of the new dig and is part of the Azoria Project, a five-year excavation of a site dating to 700 B.C.
Senior Nichole Doub, a classical archaeology major, said the project, though a lot of work, was beneficial in many ways.
"I had the opportunity to meet about half of the people that I had heard about in my textbooks," Doub said.
Doub said the project was a good way to study archaeology up close and redefine her academic experience.
"The trip allowed me to put my career in focus," Doub said. "In a way, I was able to reaffirm my interests and discover that knowledge is not confined to only textbooks and lectures."
For Tanya Rogo, who was born in Nairobi, Kenya, the best way to reaffirm her interests was to travel home.
Rogo traveled alone to Kenya on a UNC Burch Fellows grant to study how the AIDS epidemic has affected the country.
A senior biology major, Rogo said she spent the summer traveling to hospitals and villages in Nairobi and Kisumu and taking part in training offices that help educate AIDS care givers.
"A huge part of the problem is elders pushing traditions that put people's health at risk," Rogo said. "I found that educating people on modern techniques really does make a difference."
Rogo said that the Nyanza province has an HIV infection rate of 28 percent, more than twice the national average of 13.5 percent.
"I think it's one thing to hear about the virus, but to see it with one's own eyes is completely devastating to the spirits," Rogo said.
Despite the overwhelming emotional impact, Rogo said she left the country optimistic about recovery.
"I was happy to see what was being done in the labs I visited, and the new techniques being used should definitely help," Rogo said.
Rogo, who plans on applying to medical school after graduation, said she also discovered a great deal about her career.
"On the trip I was challenged by a doctor to return to the region to work, and now I feel very dedicated to the field," Rogo said.
"In many ways it widened my horizons."
The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.
The Aug. 20 article "Students Cross Oceans To Broaden Horizons" inaccurately reported that the HIV infection rate in Kenya is twice the world average. The article should have stated that the Nyanza province has an infection rate of 28 percent, more than twice the national average of 13.5 percent.
The Daily Tar Heel regrets the error.
