Roadtrip Nation To Stop At CWU

March 8, 2005

Contact: Jaqualyn Johnson (509-963-2446/fax 509-963-2418/e-mail: johnsonj@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - After earning their college diplomas, some graduates realized they weren't sure what they wanted to do with their lives. So, they decided to take a road trip to find out.

They purchased a used 31-foot RV, painted it neon green and headed out. Three months and 17,000 miles later, they had interviewed more than 80 people, from a variety of careers, who shared where they were in their 20s and how they found their callings. That group included a fisherman in Maine to Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.

The initial venture birthed "Roadtrip Nation," a movement on college campuses across the country, where select students hit the road in several Roadtrip Nation recreational vehicles to interview their own list of leaders from across the country. Their experiences are then shared through a PBS television series, publications and online at www.roadtripnation.com

Central Washington University is one of 100 Roadtrip Nation charter schools, which allows qualifying university students to be selected for a Roadtrip Nation all-expenses-paid internship.

An informational night for individuals who may be interested in applying for the Roadtrip Nation internships, or going on a road trip of their own, will be held Thursday, March 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Samuelson Union Building (SUB) Ballroom on the Ellensburg campus, hosted by CWU Career Services and Campus Life.

For more information about the information night, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-1921, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.

In addition, Roadtrip Nation will have one of its RV's, along with an organization founder and three interns, visit CWU April 21 for "Career Quest" and a Roadtrip Nation evening presentation.