For many ninth grade students, a trip to Yale University in Newhaven, Conn., as well as New York City, is not on the agenda for their summer trips. But, for Jensen Garrett, a freshman at Pike Liberal Arts School, it was.

Garrett attended the weeklong People to People World Leadership Forum held at Yale University over the summer and was able to visit different places around New York City.

“I got to tour the campus of the university, visit New York City and I got to meet people from around the world, so that was cool,” Garrett said. “We got to go to the 9/11 Memorial. We went shopping in Times Square. We went to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum.”

While it might seem like all fun and games to some, Garrett said those attending the forum were taught different things while at the university including leadership and how to be a better person.

“We spent a lot of time in the classroom at Yale,” Garrett said. “We learned about leadership. There’s a book about the seven habits of highly effective teens. We learned about that, and we were taught the habits by a special instructor.”

Garrett said there were students from all over the world who participated in the forum, and said she was able to learn a lot about different cultures.

“I really liked meeting the people that were there that went on the program with us since we were student ambassadors,” Garrett said. “It was high school students from different countries. It was fun. My roommate was from China, but he lived in Delaware.”

While Garrett said she was excited for the school year to get underway, she said she was thankful for the experience she had over the summer.

“The thought of going to Yale, it just sounded great because it’s such a prestigious college,” Garrett said. “The experience is so great and interesting and all of the things you get to do and the people you get to meet is really neat.”