At the end of the Spring  Semester 17′ Media Lab intern, Georgie Hempstead interviewed 3 of her classmates to gather their impressions of their semester abroad in Greece. Read as Jessica Gibson (University of Notre Dame), Emilia Ravn-Boess (Brandeis University) and Tiaira Muhammad (University of Southern California) share their experiences.

Over the past month, CYA Summer Session 1 students in the MS321 Excavating in the Aegean: The Case of Despotiko (Paros, Antiparos) course, have been actively involved in the excavation of one of the most prominent sanctuaries of the Aegean. The sanctuary, which is dedicated to Apollo is situated on the uninhabited islet of Despotiko, west of Antiparos, in the center of the Cyclades.

Kitab (meaning book and also knowledge) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to working with refugee teens and young adults residing in Greece. Kitab creates an individualized education plan for each student, and matches them with college students in Athens and with professionals from anywhere around the world and work towards certification in the careers of their choice.

CYA Teaming-up with Kitab

Sustainability is an area of study that has increasingly gained importance and interest on a global scale, particularly as our planet evolves and natural resources, the environment, and climate changes impact our existence. So how can we interpret the concept of sustainability in the existing built space of communities and settlements of vastly different sizes and natural contexts?

This is the very question examined by Summer Session 1 CYA students as part of their course MS375 Sustainability Across Time and Spatial Scales in Greek Urban and Island Communities.

Take a look at the wonderful view from CYA. Watch as the sun sets over the Acropolis and keep an eye on the hub of activity in our front yard – the heart of the city!