When the email arrived, Kacen Beers didn’t just read it. He ran.
“I was at work, the second I got the email I started running around showing everyone,” said Beers, a senior at McDowell High School. “I cried a little bit. It felt surreal.”
The email he received confirmed that Beers had been selected for the 360Plus Leadership Collective, an international exchange program that would take him from the mountains of Western North Carolina to the heart of India. For Beers, the journey was made possible by Upward Bound, a federally funded TRIO program designed to help potential first generation college students achieve their dreams.
“Seeing upward bound students participate in the leadership 360 program has been amazing,” said Jessica Dale, Academic Coordinator for Upward Bound. “The growth in maturity, new understanding of cultures and their ability to push themselves outside of their comfort zones has been inspirational to me. The students who have participated and attended the trip to India have come back with a passion for travel and the zeal to do big things in the next chapter of their life.”
While Beers represents the next generation of global travelers, Hanna DeBord, a 2021 graduate of Alleghany High School, was one of the first Upward Bound students from Western North Carolina to participate in the trip.
Currently holding a research position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, DeBord credited Upward Bound with making her international aspirations a reality.
“Upward Bound kind of made it like, oh, this is a reality. I can kind of do whatever I want to,” DeBord said.
For Beers, one of his favorite parts of this trip was spending time with his fellow 360Plus participants. For five months leading up to the trip, participants spent time getting to know each other via video calls and online messaging.
For Beers, this meant not only getting to discover and experience the culture of India, but exploring the home cultures of his fellow 360Plus participants as well. Students from the U.S., Cuba, Lebanon, and South Africa shared snacks from their home countries. Nights were often spent playing UNO, creating deep connections and Beers’ fondest memories of the trip.
The itinerary was a rigorous blend of sightseeing and academic immersion. Students wrote daily blog posts, completed written assignments, and took tests on the cultural centers they visited.
The curriculum focused heavily on climate change, with students planting trees, painting clay pots, and visiting landfills and polluted rivers to witness environmental challenges and the way they’re being solved firsthand.
Beers found a personal connection to the work through his father, who runs Keep McDowell Beautiful. He noted that his father’s work gave him a unique perspective on the importance of “keeping climates pristine” and understanding differences in social and agricultural infrastructure.
Despite the distance and the environmental challenges they studied, Beers felt a sense of security and community throughout the experience.
“It was super safe,” Beers said, adding that the program provided counselors and support for everything the students needed. “Everyone wants to be there as much as you do. They’re all very accepting.”
As he looks toward the future, Beers hopes to continue seeing the world through volunteering. He offers a message of encouragement to other rural students who might be hesitant to step outside their comfort zones.
“You’re always going to be scared to start something until you’re in that something,” Beers said. “We all are capable of doing amazing things”
