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Immersive Trips and Travel Studies
Service Learning Immersion Trips
(Language Trips, Science Trips and Social Studies Trips below)
O'Dowd students are invited to participate in our service learning immersion trips as they learn about social justice, simple living, solidarity/community, spirituality, sustainability, and service. Students are encouraged to apply for the spring-summer 2026 immersion opportunities.
Estimated costs to students/families for each immersion are shared here but are subject to change pending evaluation of final costs and incidentals; please note we will do our best to make trips as affordable as possible to students, and we encourage students not to let financial circumstances prevent them from applying to a program.
Applications are due November 7, 2025 for Arrupe, and all others are due on November 30, 2025.
Arrupe Leadership Summit and Eco-Summit
January 30-February 1, 2026 at Mount Hermon in the Santa Cruz Mountains
The ISN Arrupe Leaders Summit invites emerging student leaders and faculty/parish chaperones from high schools and parishes nationwide to deepen their understanding of “a faith that does justice,” share ideas and resources for social justice programming, and become empowered to effect positive social change in their local and global communities.
This trip is concurrent with the ISN Arrupe Eco-Summit, which invites high schoolers from around the country to learn the value and power of gratitude-based eco-leadership. This three-day summit will include opportunities to connect with peers from other schools and consider new ways to thoughtfully lead with an ecological lens. This trip is open to current 9th-11th graders.
Approximate cost: $250
This opportunity has a cap of 6 students (1-2) chaperones.
Application is the same but the deadline is earlier for both Arrupe trips.
Not eligible for service learning hours.
Reimagination Farms Immersion
April 6-9, 2026 - Kelseyville/Konocti, CA
Spend four days during spring break in the Lake County area of California learning about social justice, simple living, solidarity/ community, spirituality, sustainability, and service. Students will partake in the programming of the Reimagination Farms, with particular focus on environmental justice, fostering connection to land via ancestral farming practices, and food justice. This trip is eligible for 60 hours toward The Anawim Project and is available to 10th-12th grade students.
Approximate cost: $400-$500.
OKI-NI-SOO-KA-WA (Come and See) Blackfeet Nation Immersion
June 6-12, 2026 - De la Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, MT
Spend a week in the shadow of Glacier National Park serving students from the De La Salle Blackfeet School as well as members of the broader Blackfeet community as part of the OKI-NI-SOO-KA-WA (Come and See) Blackfeet Nation Immersion. Blackfeet Immersion Program is one part immersion (learning from community members, engaging with Blackfeet Speakers, etc), another part service (working with students in the classroom, projects to advance our school ministry, performing working the larger community, etc.), one part retreat (prayer and reflection each evening [chaperone led], communal living and sharing responsibilities, etc).
Approximate cost: $1500.
Application deadline was November 30, 2025
Urban Immersion to Canticle Farm
June 8-12, 2026 - Canticle Farm in East Oakland
Spend five full days this summer exploring Oakland and learning about social justice, simple living, solidarity, spirituality, sustainability, and service. Students will stay at Canticle Farm, an urban farm, intentional community, and educational center in Oakland's Fruitvale district. Students will help with gardening and cooking, learn from fascinating community members (including artists and activists), and visit other local non-profits. This opportunity is available to current 10th-11th graders and is eligible for 60 hours toward The Anawim Project.
Cost: $100.
Application deadline was November 30, 2025
Sierra Service Project Immersion
Cancelled for summer 2026 - Del Norte County, CA
Spend six days this summer in the Northern California redwoods learning about social justice, simple living, solidarity/ community, spirituality, sustainability, and service. Students will partake in programming of the Sierra Service Project, whose purpose is to build strong connections and resilience among communities by equipping volunteers in home repair skills and community-based projects. This opportunity is available to current 10th-11th graders and is eligible for 60 hours toward The Anawim Project.
Approximate cost of this trip for students is $1100.
Application deadline was November 30, 2025
Learn more about our Service Learning requirements and The Anawim Project.
For questions about Service Learning Immersions, contact Mallory Servais at mservais@bishopodowd.org.
Language Immersion Trips
With destinations including Spain, France, and China, students can explore, immerse, and participate in the language and culture they have been studying. These unique, firsthand experiences in a new country expose students to different ways of life - supporting them to broaden their perspective, grow intellectually and socio-emotionally, and gain valuable life skills.
Spain
Our cultural immersion trips allow our students to experience Spanish culture and language firsthand, through unique cultural events and excursions to some of Spain’s most famous landmarks. There are two options. Students may visit southern Spain during Holy Week, with the opportunity to absorb Moorish Spain at its fines, including trips to Malaga, Granda, Sevilla, Córdoba and Madrid. For more of a ‘European,’ Spanish experience, students may choose to visit Northern Spain, including the beautiful and picturesque towns of Pamplona, home to the famous running of the bulls, San Sebastian and Bilbao.
2027 Southern Spain Trip Informational Meeting
Our World Languages Department is leading a trip to Southern Spain (Andalucia) over Spring Break, March 20-29, 2027. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to have a real and exciting experience with the Spanish language and culture, with a particular emphasis on their celebration of Holy Week (Semana Santa).
There is a parent/guardian meeting on Monday, March 23, 2026, in the Dominican Lounge from 6:00-7:00pm.
The enrollment deadline for the trip is April 10, 2026. Enroll here.
France
Our cultural immersion trips to France include experiencing French culture and language through the eyes of its most famous city, Paris, with visits to all of the city's most famous sites and museums, as well as excursions to various historical, artistic and cultural attractions in the famed French countryside.
China
Our immersion trip to China includes visits to multiple cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, to visit all the most historically and culturally significant monuments, including the Great Wall, the Xian tombs and the Forbidden city. The trip is an unforgettable journey into all the richness offered by one of Asia’s oldest cultures.
Supplemental Language and Culture Trips
In addition to the above O’Dowd sponsored trips, many students have found the benefits of independent trips with O’Dowd partner organizations. Learn more.
Science Research Trips
Our Science Department partners with leading science travel agencies to offer research-based study trips in the United States and abroad. Students will be invited by their teachers to attend these trips, where they will receive further information to apply for a position.
Montana Winter Trip
January 24–February 1, 2026
This trip is exclusively offered to 11th and 12th graders and is coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI). Yellowstone National Park is one of the most intact natural ecosystems in the world. Winter presents a unique opportunity to experience this ecosystem, with its thermal features and abundant wildlife, in a snowy, mountainous landscape. Animals are easier to observe and track in the snow, and without the huge number of visitors, you will get a bit closer and have lots of opportunities to experience wildlife while conducting field research in an ideal setting. You will be tracking and surveying ungulates (bison, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn), and you will also have the opportunity to meet with a wolf biologist and conduct a day of wolf observation. Additionally, you will learn telemetry and collect samples for DNA analysis.
Yosemite Winter Trip
January 19–23, 2026
This trip is exclusively offered to 9th graders. The group stays in the high country at the National Environmental Science Center (NESC) and explores both the valley and high country areas. Students will engage in scientific research every day, specifically focused on the Yosemite ecosystem. One day will be spent cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, as long as snow is available.
Galapagos Islands
March 28 - April 8, 2026
The Galapagos trip is exclusively offered to 11th and 12th graders and is coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI). The Galapagos Islands are a unique conservation biology laboratory for field studies. From waters teeming with species found only in the Galapagos, to the highlands inhabited by giant tortoises, you will work to understand and protect this fragile ecosystem. In partnership with EPI, you’ll monitor wild adult tortoises as part of an exclusive partnership with the Galapagos National Park Service. You’ll help restore habitat and eradicate invasive species, and you will also develop a field-based research project from your collected tortoise data. Additionally, this year the group will visit a research station in the high elevation Andes for specific research on that unique ecosystem.
Costa Rica
March 28-April 5, 2026
The Costa Rica trip is exclusively offered to 9th graders and is coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI). This field work trip offers you an amazing opportunity to engage with Costa Rica’s immense biodiversity, especially the leatherback sea turtle and its hatchlings. While at our field station, you’ll monitor the beach, guided by trained research assistants. The collected data on turtle numbers, size, and location will help you develop a field-based research project, while supporting EPI’s work to preserve this keystone species. You’ll also experience the rainforest and the unique tropical flora and fauna that are characteristic of the preserved areas of Costa Rica.
Belize
March 28 - April 5, 2026
The Belize trip is exclusively offered to 9th graders and is coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI). You will work with researchers to learn about mangrove forests, reef ecology, and conservation in the coastal savannas of Belize. You will explore the inland rainforests, learn about the jaguar and large mammal monitoring projects, and visit the Mayan Cultural Center. Under the guidance of EPI’s instructor teams and local marine biologists, you’ll also learn how to monitor the reserve’s manatee population and seagrass beds.
Montana Summer Trip
June 6-14, 2026
The Montana trip is exclusively offered to 9th and 10th graders and is coordinated by Ecology Project International (EPI). You will be connecting with ongoing research in the Yellowstone Ecosystem to understand the impact of various ungulates (hoofed mammals) on biotic and abiotic systems. The data will be used to save many of these species (bison, deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and moose) and to understand the interconnectedness in this ecosystem. By the end of your course, you’ll have a strong understanding of the complex conservation issues facing the region.
Questions? Contact Tim Newman, Science Department Chair at tnewman@bishopodowd.org.
Social Studies Trips
Each winter, our Social Studies Department partners with the Close Up Foundation—the nation’s largest nonpartisan civic education organization—to offer students a transformative, weeklong trip to the U.S. capital. Through hands-on learning and immersive experiences, students deepen their understanding of the democratic process and their role within it.
During the trip, students have the opportunity to:
- Meet their Congressional Representatives and Senators to discuss current issues and witness government in action.
- Tour iconic monuments, memorials, and historic landmarks that bring American history to life.
- Visit world-class Smithsonian museums to explore art, culture, science, and history firsthand.
- Engage directly with U.S. history, government, and civic participation through Close Up workshops, debates, civic action, and other activities.
Throughout the week, students are immersed in Washington politics and exposed to a variety of viewpoints—from policy makers to peers from across the country. They participate in a mock trial, reflect on civic responsibility, consider multiple perspectives, and examine how individuals can shape society.
This unforgettable experience invites students to see democracy up close, broaden their national perspective, and return home inspired to lead and engage in their communities.
Approximate cost: $3000, limited financial assistance is available.
We can take as many students who want to come. Applications are accepted from April through September.