Postcards from Greece

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Posted on January 8, 2026 by Teri Greene

Teri Greene

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Leadership isn’t taught only in classrooms. Sometimes, it’s learned one shared experience at a time.

Leadership feels different in the ancient birthplace of democracy. Seven students spent two weeks this summer learning about leadership on a very personal level in Greece — a country slightly smaller than Alabama and alive with millennia of art, philosophy and civilization.

Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Andi Kent and Dr. Rick Carter, South’s associate vice president for global engagement, led the Study Abroad program.

From a café-side Socratic discussion in Athens to a chance meeting in Delphi that connected South’s campus to an ancient oracle, every stop offered lessons in courage, curiosity and connection.

In Kastoria, a family dinner of roasted lamb, music and laughter showed that leadership can also mean hospitality.

The students hiked Mount Pelion, stood at Thermopylae and reflected beside the Ionian Sea, experiences that would reshape how they see themselves and their place in the world.

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