Mokhtar Bensaha - London City Break 2020

What did I learn academically from the trip?

Spring 2020 is my best semester ever; I went to London with my classmates and instructors. I learned a lot from this experience in my personal life and my academic learning. The purpose of the trip was to gain leadership skills. We met with business leaders and a Member of Parliament. Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization and every leader has some qualities that make a good leader such as honesty and integrity. A leader inspires others and is confident connecting with people and is a good speaker and a good listener.

What did I discover about my career path/major? 

Leaders must have commitment and passion to impact others. We find leaders at work, school, or among friends. Leaders must take risks and be accountable in the guidance and influence. Leadership mostly is about decision making capabilities. I see this in the trip in every one of us. The relationships among students the first day as I remember in the Amazing Race from hotel to the Cathedral Church that day was hard for me because I exhausted but I was with great people who helped me get through and finish the race. We were divided into five groups and each individual in group contributed as much as it could and worked together as a team in building a strong relationship. This is one of the keys of leadership, relationship building. For my career path I am willing to keep attending USU to finish my classes and to do well on every aspect I face in the future because success is what I am seeking.

Did it change or strengthen my choices?

Paul Lindley is the author of book called “Think Like a Toddler” and he has three different businesses as well. I read his book before the trip and I was impressed with the ideas he shared in his book. Meeting him in person, interacting with him, and asking him questions was one of the best things about the trip. Also, I had the opportunity to ask him a question about creativity that he mentioned it in the book. I thought he would forget my question after he said to me and to my classmates who had same question. He later explained creativity to us and gave us many examples. The second key of leadership I learned is creativity. As Paul said, I should think like a toddler but not act like a toddler. It really strengthens my choices to never give up in college and always be creative of what I am doing whether in my education or at work. Creativity leads to opportunities and opens many doors. 

What are some things I did not realize before I went on the trip?

As a student at Utah State University, I was honored to meet a Member of Parliament, Lord Michael Hastings, who was appointed such by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. I learned a lot from him in the short tour we had with him and my group as well. He is a great speaker. A former journalist, he talked to us about the importance of statistics and facts in understanding what is happening around us. He discussed what was going on in the world such as what is going on in the world with the coronavirus, the poverty in Zimbabwe, and some issues in South Africa. He also talked about his early life. I noticed that he has a sense of humor, which is one of the keys of good leadership. I realized that every successful person has had a hard time in his life to reach the peak. It is not easy to overcome and approach what you want. Therefore, I should fight for what I want to be and surround myself with good people. 

How did I see my classroom learning in action in the real world?

I will not forget this experience in my life. I enjoyed the week; I learned many things: leadership skills, culture, locations, food, art, theater, etc. I built good relationships with my classmates. All of them were awesome and polite. I also won’t forget my instructors. Dr. Crane, thanks again for having me in this group. Thanks to Dr. Boyd who became a friend to everyone. And, thanks to Dr. Alexander and the Dean of the Huntsman School for sharing this trip experience with us. Thanks to everyone who helped us live this amazing experience.