jonathanweese-blog

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Evening walks with a view of Parliament alongside the river Thames in London, England.

[jonathanweese-blog]

Life After Magellan

For me, life has taken a dramatic turn. It has been a turn for the better. Never again will I view life’s struggles and victories through a narrow perspective. As I finish my remaining years at W&J, I will continually be prodding myself to try to understand several perspectives in every situation. I have learned several types of qualities that I have developed within myself because of my travels. Diligent work ethic, leadership, and persistent will power are qualities that were needed to fully complete the task I undertook. All of these qualities I have been fortunate enough to develop embody what a true leader or true President stands for. I am reminded and encouraged by my college’s motto “Be a President.” Embarking on this truly once in a lifetime opportunity gave me a real chance to emulate an idea that truly transcends anything one individual can accomplish. I am thankful for this remarkable journey, and I hope to share this experience with as many people as I can. 

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In Seaford, England with wind speeds of up to 20 mph! 

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Self-Assessment

I returned to my house on July 20, 2016 amazed at what I had accomplished in the last three weeks. This Magellan Project brought in me noticeable changes. I have more confidence in how I tackle tasks. I am more prepared when facing a lot of information thrown at me. Several of these lessons were fixed on me while in the train stations in London, surprisingly. As several different time schedules, platform numbers, and all the hundreds of people are all around you, I could not get overwhelmed with the information overload. The lessons admonished will carry not just into my upcoming years at W&J but into my life. I was so thankful for the experience of a lifetime. 

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About Me

From the earliest memories of my childhood, I have always wanted to see what lies beyond my boundaries. When I was seven years old, my parents bought me an electric Mongoose scooter. From that moment when I received the scooter, my perspective of the world would begin to change. Suddenly, my perspective was not just riding my scooter in the driveway, but I would make frequent trips to my neighbors’ houses who were several roads away from where I lived. Now, I am a college student. I travel on a different street now. I am not confined to just neighborhood streets. The world has become my neighborhood street. My desire to test myself, yet taking all the necessary precautions, drove the Magellan Project that I undertook. I am very thankful for the opportunity W&J afforded me in this project. W&J helped me reach my dreams to not just stay within a narrow perspective in the neighborhood streets but to expand my horizons to the world.

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Looking at the Lake District National Park in Windermere, England. 

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View from Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

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The Magellan Project

I am a rising sophomore, and I am majoring in political science and french at Washington and Jefferson College. W&J gives its students the unique opportunity to design their own summer research projects and study wherever the student desires. One pressing issue in the world today is the current refugee crisis affecting Europe. Many stories we hear regarding the refugee crisis are from Greece, Turkey, Germany, and Sweden. However, I wanted to know how the current crisis is affecting Great Britain as a whole. I gained first person perspective to as many British citizens who were willing to talk to me - the every day British citizen along with set appointments with individuals working in London, England. I asked British citizens a series of questions already typed, and they answered a series of short responses. My focus was not just limited to just London either. I covered the British Isles ranging from Edinburgh, Scotland to Windermere, England and to Seaford, England. I have gained several viewpoints, from urban, suburban, and to rural viewpoints, of the crisis affecting Britain today that has truly opened up my eyes to the world around me.