A Little Background

My name is Austin Plummer and I'm a senior at College of the Ozarks, majoring in Public Relations. C of O has given me many unique opportunities, such as meeting Governor Sarah Palin, Dave Ramsey, Ben Stein, Louis Zamperini, etc, but none as significant as my next journey...

I've always wanted to travel and I embarked on my first trip "across the pond" and landed in Paris, France. I spent 10 days with a wonderful family, which whom I was introduced to through C of O. The "B" family showed me so much love during my stay and were great hosts. I don't think there was a monument on my "must see" list that I didn't visit. That trip sparked an even greater desire to travel within me. The culture had so many stories to tell and I didn't have time to hear them all.

A story that I will not soon forget is drawing near... Myself and 16 other College of the Ozarks students will be traveling with WWII Veterans and Holocaust survivors back to Europe to relive some painful memories. We will be visiting numerous destinations across Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Poland, listening to the emotional recollections of the witnesses. The Holocaust Commemorative Tour is sponsored completely by the Patriotic Travel Program at C of O. Due to the generosity of donors, students, like myself, will not have to pay anything.

We will be leaving May 31, 2012 on "The Trip of a Lifetime."