Euro-trip: Hazen teenager gets once-in-a-lifetime chance
Shania Grager of Hazen got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel across the Atlantic Ocean for a 20-day European adventure June 28.
"I'm very fascinated with Europe and what they've done," she said. "When I found out that I could go there to learn more about it, I was just like, 'That sounds perfect.' I'm a big history fan."
The 16-year-old was nominated anonymously to participate in the People to People Ambassador Program. She traveled with 13 people from North Dakota. She was the only one from Hazen.
People to People was inspired by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who wanted to bring peace to a war-ravaged world, according to People to People. The first delegation was sent out in 1960. The organization's mission is to break down cultural barriers by providing short-term travel opportunities.
Grager explored England, France, Germany the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium, where she got to taste some of the world's finest chocolate in Bruges, Belgium.
"That's one of the reasons why Belgium is my favorite," she said.
The group also met a member of the English Parliament and traveled on a ferry to France.
