Jan Term at Salem College offers students the opportunity to investigate new areas of study while participating in specialized courses, completing independent studies or internships, or traveling abroad on school-sponsored trips. This year, the four-week period was a time of learning, camaraderie, growth, and success.

There were three opportunities to travel abroad this year, as students dispersed to Costa Rica, Hungary, and Italy & Austria. Head soccer coach Jay Callahan and assistant professor of interior design, Dr. Rosa Otero, took the soccer team and other students to Costa Rica to study architecture and compete against local soccer teams. In Hungary, Dr. Andrew Thomas, assistant professor of history, accompanied students as they studied historical trends and current cultural practices. Cristy Brown, voice instructor, and Kimberly Varnadoe, assistant professor of art, led a group to Italy and Austria to explore the cultural arts. They discovered the roots of Italy’s cultural arts movement and learned the history of Vienna’s most famous composers.

On campus, students enrolled in courses not offered at any other time during the academic year. Samples from this years’ selection include:

·  Politics in Film

·  Watercolor

· Tai Chi

· Hunger Games: Religion in Modern Culture

· The War on Drugs

· Time Value of Money

Off campus, students completed internships in marketing, music, health care, technology, and more. They spent time with exotic animals, curated museum collections, traveled to California, Ireland, Rhode Island, Georgia, England, and other destinations. Organizations like MTV, Forsyth Humane Society, Brenner Children’s Hospital, and PLITZ Fashion Marketing welcomed our Salem students. Having the time to complete internships ensures that our students are prepared to enter the job market in industries where they feel passionate about the work they are doing.

As we reflect on another Jan Term, we are again impressed by the hard work and tenacity of our students to create meaningful Jan Term experiences and the businesses, organizations, and Salem alumnae who are contributing to the development of our students’ professional identities.