Offered only once a year for rising high school seniors in the New York City area — at nearly no cost for the students — our trips are uniquely curated to intimately and creatively explore a new part of the United States in order to meet new people and learn about new communities in order to promote more understanding, trust and fellowship among Americans by practicing, unconditionally, four core values:

• curiosity

• respect

• compassion

• humility

Our current destination is South Carolina because of its rich and uniquely different history, culture and geography, with an important stop in Washington DC.

In Washington, we learn about our government and public service careers by meeting a variety of Capitol Hill professionals, including:

• legislators

• elected official staff members and interns

• Congressional committee staff members

• lobbyists

We also get some insider tours. In 2024, we toured the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Department of Justice (escorted by a Deputy Solicitor General).

In South Carolina, we will enjoy and learn about the state’s:

• world-class dining

• robust local agriculture

• long, rich, complicated history

• notable recent societal progress

• breathtaking, diverse natural beauty

We travel by train between NYC, DC and SC because it’s the most green-conscious mode of transportation. To watch the zooming landscape gradually transform, also highlights the vast distances between us, helps explain our differences and encourages us to appreciate our still many commonalities.

The only payment is a minor commitment fee, which can be waived for financial reasons. Otherwise, American Tributaries covers for students the costs of transportation, lodging, admission fees, breakfasts and dinners. More details provided upon registration.

The South Carolina experience includes:

• Kayaking or canoeing on local waterways

• Boating Cypress Gardens swamp preserve (from The Notebook)

• The inspiring International African-American Museum

• McLeod Plantation and its unvarnished depiction of enslavement

• Tours of two college campuses

• Half-day visit to a military base

• Free time on Charleston’s famed King Street and Greenville’s scenic Main Street

• Visit farmers, learning about our connection to earth…and each other

• Eat diverse cuisine: local fast food to soul food to seafood to BBQ and more

• Dine with fellow teenagers and others from South Carolina

• Community service activity

Please note that the itinerary may vary from original plans for any number of reasons. Please also note that no travel is risk-free, despite precautions, accidents may occur.