Jesus Sedeno-Gutierrez poses for a photo at Mount Fuji.

UAFS alumnus Jesus Sedeno-Gutierrez recently returned from his summer trip, aptly named “34 Days Around the World.” While abroad, Sedeno-Gutierrez visited six countries: Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, Germany, and Scotland.

 

Sedeno-Gutierrez says he took this trip in pursuit of a dream to travel the world.

 

“I truly believe that traveling is a mind changing experience; traveling teaches things that are not found in books [or in the classroom],” he said. “It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends I have around the world, many of them I met at UAFS, so I felt it was part of my college experience even though it didn’t give me school credit.”

 

It was also a perfect time in his life to pursue this dream: a week after he graduated UAFS and just before starting graduate school.

 

“I liked all the six countries so much,” Sedeno-Gutierrez said. “That’s why I don’t have a favorite. However, there are places that blew my mind in many ways that became places I will remember my whole life. For example: The day I saw Mount Fuji with all [its] majestic beauty. I was visiting the five lakes around the volcano […]. I turned my face toward the lake and Mount Fuji was there. It was magical.”

 

Sedeno-Gutierrez tried many kinds of foods and went hiking with his cousin in the Canary Islands in Spain. He spent time in Berlin to look at art, sculptures, architecture and visited a biergarten. Sedeno-Gutierrez went boating with his friends near Fuji, and he wandered around Bangkok during a 20 hour layover.

 

“Learning is an action that humans will always practice throughout life,” Sedeno-Gutierrez said when asked what he has learned from his travels. “I learned that there are many people who will help you and don’t want anything back. I learned that the world is beautiful and kindness lives in many people. You just need to go and be prepared to interact with people and absorb their culture.”

 

Sedeno-Gutierrez is the second of four children and was born in Mexico. He was brought to Fort Smith by his parents and began attending UAFS because it was close to home. He graduated UAFS with a B.A. in Spanish and TESL certification this spring. Spanish is his first language, and he hopes to teach it here in the United States. He wants to be able to teach English as a second language as well. He will be attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for graduate school in the fall.

 

“Tennessee is far and I will miss UAFS, but all I learned here will help me to be successful there,” Sedeno-Gutierrez said.

 

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