The multicultural organization set up “Backpacking with Bren,” a presentation where Bren Vander Weil spoke about how he was able to travel the world, while still earning a paycheck.

Vander Weil graduated Wayne State College in 2013. He got his degree in secondary education in social sciences. He spent two years abroad teaching in Korea and traveling the world.

He was able to travel through English Program in Korea. The EPIK program is a one-year contract which includes paid housing. The contract only required Vander Weil to pay his utilities.

“The contract itself is a bear, but if anyone’s had to change is their iTunes account, you can figure out how to do this,” Vander Weil said. “It’s easier than that ,but it takes some persistence and I had a lot of help along the way.”

He traveled to China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, and many other countries.

Vander Weil discussed how he picked up hiking and enrolled in a taekwondo class and earned his blackbelt.

“I was the only person that wasn’t in high school,” Vander Weil said. “It was a lot of fun and I would see students there.”

The Olympics were hosted in Korea while Vander Weil was living there.

“A group of English teachers went, and we were able to check out the venue,” Vander Weil said. “We also watched the bronze medal hockey match between the Czech Republic and Canada.”

Though he traveled to many different countries, Laos was one of Vander Weil’s favorite places he visited.

“It seemed more organic, they were concerned if you were having a good time,” Vander Weil said. “You could ask questions and not feel like you were intruding, they were very welcoming.”

Many students were asked to go to the presentation for their classes. Freshmen Kaitlynn Garst went for her history class and wrote down things she found noteworthy.

“I thought it was interesting how he explained how we went from country to country without a care in the world,” Garst said.

Freshmen Rylee Williams also found the presentation very knowledgeable.

“I’ve never understood how people are able to travel through colleges, so I found the presentation really informative,” Williams said.