Eighty students in eight different learning communities will travel to Chicago from Sept. 22-24 as part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Learning Community Big Trip.

The students will participate in site visits and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of Chicago-area businesses and organizations to learn about potential career options while networking with professionals and alumni in their chosen fields.

“This is the third year we have organized a trip of this scale, allowing students to learn from a variety of professionals and organizations they may not be familiar with,” said Jordan Black, assistant director of residence life for learning communities and academics. “Through these experiences, students are pushed to consider new possibilities and are provided with a different context to consider the information they are learning in the classrooms at UNL.”

The trip has proven to be a useful experience for students.

“My Big Trip experiences helped me figure out what physical therapy specialty I would like to work with,” said Rachel Peterson, a senior nutrition and health sciences major who participated in 2015. “It also showed me how I can incorporate what I am passionate about into my future career.

“I had a ton fun bonding with my learning community. And, I am so thankful that I get to go on the Big Trip again this year.”

Elements of the 2016 trip include:

• Students in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications will visit Wrigley Field to learn about sports communication, and will explore potential career opportunities by meeting with professionals in public relations, writing, and videography at non-traditional media outlets.

• Business students will tour the regional headquarters of Deloitte and Wells Fargo, learning about an array of disciplines and receiving advice for how to be competitive in the job market.

• Psychology majors will learn about opportunities in the field of industrial and organizational psychology, and tour Thresholds, a non-profit that provides recovery services for persons with mental illness.

• Nutrition and athletic training majors will tour Rush University Medical Center, where they will see simulation and cadaver labs.

• Education majors will learn how to use visual arts in the classroom at the Art Institute of Chicago.

• Computer science and computer engineering students will tour Signal, a leader in cross-channel marketing, to learn how data across industries reach people on multiple platforms.

In addition to career exploration, students will also have the chance to see Navy Pier, take in a performance by renowned improvisational comedy troupe Second City, and visit the Museum of Science and Industry.

For more information on the Big Trip and Nebraska’s learning communities, click here.