CTD Abroad: Staff and Student Unexpectedly Cross Paths
by Ross Middleton
When Julianne O’Connell planned a holiday vacation to Mexico with a childhood friend, she expected to spend a few days exploring Mexico City and a few days enjoying the culture and cuisine of Oaxaca. “It did not disappoint,” said O’Connell, a former Assistant Residential Director for CTD’s Equinox Summer Program. “The city is so beautiful and magical,” O’Connell recalls of her time in Oaxaca. “Every time we made plans to do something, they would get foiled because we would stumble upon something else that was even cooler than we could have imagined.” One of these surprising discoveries occurred late in O’Connell’s visit as she watched a musical performance in the city square. A familiar figure approached her and introduced himself: it was Braeden Dilger, an Equinox alum she had last seen on the Northwestern campus a year ago and more than 2,000 miles away.
Though it was O’Connell’s first visit to Mexico, Dilger—a current high school junior who has studied world history, politics, government, and religion through CTD’s online program in addition to his 2017 Equinox class, Sports Business and Entertainment Academy—is no stranger to the region. “I’ve lived in Oaxaca for the last seven years, and it’s basically my hometown at this point,” Dilger shares, noting that although his family had temporarily moved to San Miguel de Allende, he returned to Oaxaca for the holidays.
As soon as Braeden told O’Connell he had taken CTD courses, she “immediately” recognized him. “Of the 150-plus students at Equinox, I felt like I had actually known Braeden pretty well,” O’Connell explains. “He was always very engaged and very polite, and I was impressed that he was only 14 during his time at CTD, but he acted much older.” The chance meeting was unique for O’Connell: though she still corresponds with other program staff, she doesn’t recall running into other CTD students outside the program. This may be partly due to location and partly due to her busy schedule. During the academic year, O’Connell supervises 24 residential assistants and supports nearly 1,000 first-year undergrads at the University of Georgia, where she is also working on a Master’s in Higher Education Administration.
In the noisy night air, O’Connell and Dilger strained to hear each other, though they still managed to catch up and discuss school plans, family, and travel. “It was short and sweet and a nice reminder of how small the world can be,” O’Connell reflects. After their meeting in Mexico, both Dilger and O’Connell plan to see more of the world soon. Dilger will travel to the Netherlands with his extended family this summer and would like to one day attend Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service or stay closer to home, where he would “love to show people around the natural and cultural beauty of one of Mexico’s most overlooked states.” As for O’Connell, she will spend a month in Berlin working with American high school students as a Program Leader for the Council on International Educational Exchanges. “It’s an extension of the work I did at CTD,” O’Connell explains, hinting at another example of CTD’s unexpected global scope.
Ross Middleton is an independent writer and formerly part of CTD’s Summer Program staff. He received his BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence.