On Thursday May 22, 2025, our freshman class stepped onto Ellis Island and explored the Statue of Liberty, where millions came to America in search of a new beginning. This trip utilized our understanding of American immigration history, and helped us realize how powerful and emotional the immigrant experience truly was for millions of people.
At Ellis Island, we walked through the inspection rooms and saw exhibits with real names, photos, and stories of families who had traveled across the ocean in hopes of a better life. This gave us a deeper understanding of the courage and hope it took to leave everything behind and start over in a new country with bigger opportunities. Overall, the experience connected what we’ve learned in class to real-life history, making it more meaningful and unforgettable for our class.
Vice president of our class, Brianna Tannenholz, said, “In the past years this is where the freshmen have gone for the most part, so we decided to carry on this tradition. I think this will be great for all of us to go as a class and experience a piece of art in the world.”
She also said, “I hope they’ll take away that we’re visiting something that’s national art. At least we were able to have fun while also gaining knowledge and facts about the world.”
Our student council and class officers hope to honor the tradition and want to stay connected to what the freshmen have done. By choosing to visit the same place, we’re continuing something meaningful and creating memories together as a class. It’s not just about having fun– it’s also about learning and experiencing something real and important, like national art that we are blessed to have so close to us.
Brianna was strongly hoping that we, as her classmates, would not only enjoy the trip, but also come away with something we did not know, or even that the experience would provide us with a better knowledge of the world. We all were excited to go on a field trip that gave us the purpose of seeing a part of history in person.
We were given a run down of how the day was going to look for the freshman. Tannenholz said, “As a class we will leave in a bus, from the bus we will take two ferries into New York and to the Island.”
Mackenzie Dillon added, “We take the ferries and drive around the Statue of Liberty, when we reach Ellis Island, we will get off and explore the museum.”
This trip has given us a hands-on way to connect with history. Instead of just reading about immigration or the Statue of Liberty in a textbook, we actually got to see it in person. Riding the ferry and seeing Lady Liberty gave us a glimpse into what it was like for many immigrants, and helped recreate the sense of awe that they felt as they arrived in America for the first time.
Visiting the Ellis Island Museum let us walk through real places where people were once “processed” before they assimilated into their new lives here. It made history more real and emotional, helping all of us relate to the past in a personal way.
Lianna Arroyave
This trip wasn’t just about seeing landmarks, it was about helping us step into the shoes of the people who came before us, and truly feeling the stories that have shaped America.
