Not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary, I scrolled down my Facebook newsfeed on Friday, November 13, 2015. One headline caught my attention: “At least 60 dead, French Borders Closed After Series of Terror Attacks.” My mind flashed back and forth as I realized that a few of my Lake Forest friends were studying abroad in Paris. I frantically called my friend Katerina Roldan ’17 to see how she was doing as soon as I heard the news.
It was 7 p.m. our time, 2 a.m. Paris time. Roldan sounded uneasy as she recounted the night’s events. “I was on the Metro when we first heard there was an attack,” Roldan said. “We returned right back to the apartment, and all we could hear were sirens… I realized the seriousness of the situation when friends and family started messaging me asking about my security. At that point, I realized that this was a huge issue.
During the night, Roldan said all she wanted to do was return to the United States. “But this is something that can happen in any city and country,” she said. “It was a night filled with fear, and sadness for those who have passed. It was definitely an experience that I will remember…clearly forever.”
As a Paris Program applicant myself, I was curious to learn how the terrorist attacks would affect the future of the program. Ashley Sinclair, director of off-campus programs, assured me that “the safety of our students is paramount,” she said. “If we felt that our students remained in any danger, in any location around the world, we would evacuate the program.”
Based on information from security experts, the U.S. Embassy, and peer schools with students in Paris, Lake Forest did not cancel the 2015 Paris program, Sinclair said. For those students who wish to leave Paris, the College has provided a pathway to leave the program early and still earn four college credits. “So far, nobody has taken us up on the offer, but there is no expiration,” Sinclair said. “Provided we have enough students for the 2016 cohort, we will continue to run the Paris program.”
All students studying abroad are required to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (step.state. gov) and participate in a workshop that teaches safety practices while abroad, Sinclair said.
The Stentor Staff hopes that the families of those who lost their lives in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad and throughout the world find peace and closure after these terrifying events. The Stentor chose to report on Paris due to the fact that Lake Forest College students are studying abroad in Paris.
