When 21-year-old Teagan Kempe got to New York City, she experienced everything she possibly could in the three and-a-half days she had to explore the city.

“I did everything that I could possibly do,” she laughed. “I fit so much stuff into such a small amount of time.”

New York City welcomed 20 people from Riverland Community College and the Austin area in mid-March, dazzling them with the people, Broadway musicals and many museums.

The college’s 2015 study abroad trip, Big Arts in the Big Apple, from March 13 to 17 took students, staff and community members to see everything New York City had to offer.

Kempe, a sophomore taking online courses through Riverland’s Owatonna campus, is working toward her AA degree and hopes to study psychology. She almost decided not to go on the trip to New York, but she decided it was worth any risks or hesitations.

“I love travel; I have wanderlust,” she said. “I always want to go to places I’ve never been, and I’ve wanted to go to New York since, gosh, probably since I was just a wee little thing.”

She, along with two other girls from the group, branched off and saw some of the big sights, such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, China Town, Little Italy, the Bronx and Time Square, among other places. One of the things she loved most was meeting the people, such as street performers or people who just live in New York.

“They were all just the most interesting people,” she said. “They have such interesting stories to share with you.”

 Experiencing arts and culture

Scott Blankenbaker, the head of Riverland’s music department head, was happy to help lead the trip and share the experience with newer travelers.

“We started this trip I don’t know how many years … probably eight years ago as an opportunity for our students to experience art, music, theater and just big city culture,” Blankenbaker said.

He organized the trip with Riverland theater department director Lyndsey Williams.

“We just wanted to give an affordable option to see some of the world’s best art,” Blankenbaker said.

The trip takes place every year, although organizers have alternated the destination every other year, from New York City to London. The students who gained credit for the trip were required to take in at least one music concert, one theater production, one museum and to write a few small papers. For community members and staff, there are no requirements but experiencing the arts and culture is still highly encouraged. The trip cost anywhere from under $800 to more than $1,000 per person.

Kempe said the cost and time was worth the experience.

“I think New York kind of breathed life back into my soul and said, just get up, just go do something, just try something new,” she said. “That was definitely probably the biggest lesson I took away from it.”

“The way we do this trip is the two of us that lead it, students can go with us and do some of those things, or they can venture out on their own,” Blankenbaker said. “So we really had a combination.”

Trip participants were able to experience things such as the Sept. 11 memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, music concerts such as Sarah McLachlan, Broadway shows such as “The Kinky Boots,” museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum, a boys choir and more.

“They were all over the place,” Blankenbaker laughed.

Williams said this trip is a good way for new travelers to go somewhere with less stress, as the organizers help the participants get tickets to shows, figure out how to use the subway and other things they might need to know.

Williams said her favorite part was watching the students experience New York for the first time.

“What was fun for me was just seeing these students take in the sights and sounds and culture of New York,” Williams said. “It’s really unlike anything else.”

“It’s really fun to be able to see it through their eyes and see how different it is,” she added.

The new people, sights, sounds and excitement from such a large city were impressive to many of the first-time New York visitors. As the theater director, Williams was especially excited to see the students immerse themselves into theater, which is one big thing New York has to offer.

“Of course theater was a big part of the trip,” she said. “A lot of the students were able to see more than one show while they were there.”

 Life outside Minnesota

For 21-year-old Kimberly Schiltz, the trip was also a dream come to life.

“It’s kind of been a dream of mine just to go there,” Schiltz said. “I’m a huge theater person so it was kind of my dream just to see a Broadway play. It was something I had been thinking about and then all of a sudden just out the blue I got an email that the college was going to New York. and I was like, ok, this is fate.”

Schiltz was able to experience two Broadway plays, the ballet, the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum, and more. One of her favorite places, though, was the Empire State Building at night.

“The city at night was just gorgeous,” she said. “It’s all lit up, you can see for miles.”

“I never have seen anything like that,” she added.

Blankenbaker helped design the New York trip around 2007, and organizers have done the trip to London since 2001. One of the main reasons for the trip is to learn about other cultures.

“I think one of the main things is just seeing what life is like outside of rural Minnesota,” he said.

“Just exposing students to the incredible diversity that New York has is a big goal,” he added. “And we hope they came away with appreciation for how different life is, because they see the whole spectrum.”

One of the lessons Schiltz learned was not to be afraid to ask for help.

“I know I’ve heard people say in certain areas don’t ask anyone, don’t talk to people,” she said. “But when we were lost a lot of people were willing to help us. So don’t be afraid to ask for directions.”

She said it was worth it to be adventurous, even though she is somewhat shy herself.

Williams hopes those who went on the trip got more from the trip than just seeing what New York has to offer.

“I think it’s about them being exposed to really this entirely different culture,” she said. “And being able to have art experiences, like the Broadway shoes and museums. I think that it will open their eyes to different cultures and a different way of living.”

The students all responded to the trip differently, of course, as some were excited to be home in rural Minnesota, and some could imagine themselves moving to a large city in the future.

“I’m hoping it’s something that will stay with them for a long time,” Williams said. “Something they’ll be able to enjoy and think about for weeks after the trip is over.”

Williams herself was able to see five Broadway shows, and although she enjoyed them all, she said her favorite part was simply experiencing the atmosphere.

“Sometimes it’s just being in New York,” she said. “ … just soaking up the atmosphere and the experiences, that’s always kind of the nicest part of it for me.”

Blankenbaker hoped the trip participants would see how many people with so many backgrounds were on Broadway and performing in musicals and concerts.

“Just giving them the realization that it’s possible to make it,” he said.

He thought it was a successful trip for many of the students as he recalled the bus ride home.

“We saw lots of happy faces and they were reliving some of their experiences on the bus on the way home, talking very excitedly,” Blankenbaker said. “So I think it was a very successful experience for them.”

The trips are offered every year and is open to students and the public. Williams said organizers are starting to discuss next year’s trip, and they are open to exploring new places for adventures later on down the road. For more information or to get on the mailing list, contact either the Riverland music or theater department.