For the San Joaquin Valley Town Hall Lecture Series, Rick Steves will present his speech, “I’ve Learned Living out of a Suitcase,” at the William Saroyan Theatre on Oct. 20.
He will discuss how travel has affected his life and recommend that people travel to find connections with other cultures and lifestyles. Steves has been the host on over 100 different shows, has worked for a radio station and now has a podcast.
The San Joaquin Town Hall Lecture Series invites a variety of speakers, who are often experts in their fields, to talk about history, foreign language, music, economics and other issues. The goal of this program, which has been in operation for 74 years, is to expand educational interests in schools.
Joan Schoettler, Town Hall Education Co-Chair, has been involved with the Town Hall for the past three years. She said she is excited for this lecture series to begin because of the opportunities to educate, entertain and inform students.
“I think that it is a great opportunity for students to see different styles of speaking from people who have been in television shows and talks shows,” Schoettler said. “I am excited to have Rick Steves as the first speaker because it is a great opportunity to have students learn about what it is like to be a foreigner.
“I hope that this experience will bridge the gap between the classroom and the environment so that, when the students get older, they will have a greater appreciation for their environment and see new ways to learn.”
The lecturers hope to send students back to class with knew ideas and topics to discuss. They aim to inspire their listeners to make new discoveries with the presented knowledge.
Senior Zach Ragan has never attended one of these conferences but appreciates the wide range of student resources, he said.
“I think the lecture series is a great idea,” Ragan said. “I like to learn things that I am not forced to learn. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about different topics that wouldn?t be introduced in my classes.”
Future lecturers are Richard Rodriguez, Elliot Engel, Marin Alsop, Daniel Kammen and Christopher Buckley. The lectures are held throughout the academic year. They start at 10:30 a.m. and last for one hour, with a 15-minute question and answer period.
For more information, visit the Town Hall’s website. The Feather Online also covered the Town Hall series during Saroyan’s centennial in December 2008.
