Experience of a Lifetime By Grace Regan

To sum up this trip in one word is impossible. It was exciting, fun, tiring, educational, entertaining, phenomenal, even life changing. Never could I have imagined how much we would fit into one week. We hit up Camp Nou, the Picasso museum, las Ramblas, la sagrada familia, and best of all, the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. There wasn't a dull moment. I even loved our 13 mile walks, adventuring through the city. Back in Kingston I'm having serious Barcelona withdrawals. Already counting down to next years summit!

First Time International Travelers By Isabelle Stitt and Sophia Reinhardt

Being first time international travelers, we had no idea what to expect. We were a little anxious before the flight because sitting on a plane for 8 hours is a lot different than sitting on a plane for 1 or 2. Security took longer than normal, but it wasn't so bad being with a large group of people we were all friends with. Credit to all the chaperones for keeping 24 nervous high school students together and calm in a crowded airport.

The actual plane, we figured out, was different too. As we walked through the aisles to find our seats, which was no easy task, we heard every language from Spanish to languages we couldn't even identify. It was weird, it was our first time being the people that spoke a different language. Everything in the plane was labeled in three languages: Spanish, English and Catalán. And unlike any other flight we've been on, they served you actual food. We got dinner and breakfast on the plane.

Movies were playing the whole time and there was a radio attached to every seat. You could plug your headphones into your armrest and listen to all sorts of music or watch the tv. They also gave everyone a pillow and a blanket for the flight.

Overall it was a fun experience that was just the beginning of what we knew was going to be an amazing trip.

United Nations Workshop By Kassidy Kelly

During the second day of the summit, I had the opportunity to go to a workshop all about the UN and how to change the world. With their 17 Sustainable Development Goals, such as no poverty, zero hunger, and quality education, there are so many ways that us as students and young adults can make a worldwide difference.

The workshop was especially amazing because  it was an hour and a half of complete discussion among the student audience. It was crazy to be among these students from all around the world and to hear their brilliant ideas. Everyone in that room had something to say and were very passionate about the topics discussed.

 What truly surprised me was that the Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information of the United Nations, Christina Gallach was there not only to run the workshop, but to take down her own notes and take all of our ideas into consideration.

The workshop opened with a video called "HOME" and it really hit me that our home is something we want to protect. But we can't continue to think of our home as a specific country or city. Our home is planet earth. With the goals and targets proposed by the United Nations, there's no reason that we can't all come together as people all living in the same home and make it a better place.

The single thing that inspired me the most was when we were told as a group that we CAN make a change and make a huge difference even in our young age. It was a true blessing to be able to attend this workshop!

Sagrada Familia by Matt VanVliet

The Sagrada Familia is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe and it was definitely one of the most memorable moments (other than seeing the laureates) for me. As a Catholic, it meant a lot to me to see the amazing architecture and to be able to walk inside of it. During the tour, we listened to the history of the basilica, porticos and the interior features. We walked miles to get to it, but it was all worth it once we could see it.
The person that inspired me the most was Betty Williams thanks to how personal she was with us. She repeatedly said that to fix problems and bring peace we need to start from the bottom and work our way to the top. Overall this trip was amazing! All 28 of us made so many memories together and I don't think it should have been any different.

CAMP NOU By Josh McNutt

FC Barcelona is a soccer team that plays in the top tier of the Spanish professional league. Their stadium; Camp Nou is one of the most iconic in the world. Built in 1957, the stadium has been renovated several times since its inauguration and currently holds just over 99 thousand fans. The stadium is home to some of the greatest players in the world such as Messi, Neymar Jr., Suarez and formerly, Ronaldinho. We were fortunate enough to take a tour of the stadium on our first day here in Barcelona. We went in press boxes, the visiting team locker room, through the tunnel to the field and even on field level! As a soccer player, his was one of the locations I really wanted to visit on this trip and the experience of everything we did was amazing. What inspired me most on this trip was hearing David Trimble and FW de Klerk defend America in front of the whole world during a live broadcast of the conference.

The Inspirational Betty Williams by Julia Wolf

The person that inspired me the most is most definitely Betty Williams. First applying for the trip and picking a laureate to write about, Betty stood out from all the others. Seeing her and listening to her speak at the summit seemed so unrealistic that the laureate I first learned to adore was standing right in front of me. Betty's words were truly inspiring my favorite quote being "the power of love is incredible, and you don't have to speak the same to love someone." Her story is truly inspiring and I absolutely adore her. ~Julia Wolf

The Picasso Museum By Neha Patel

The Picasso museum was a wonderful experience! It did a great job depicting  Picasso's  growth and transformation as a artist.  I loved the abstract paintings and attempting to interpret them. The thing that inspired me the most was the way Picasso used so many different mediums to create beautiful paintings.
~ Neha Patel