Many students develop a strong foundation of relationships during their KWEST trips.

“KWEST was an awesome way to start my Kellogg experience. I met a dozen first years, some of whom are my closest friends at Kellogg. The second year leaders are people I still turn to for advice and questions. — Ryan Takeuchi, KWEST Montana

Kellogg Worldwide Experiences and Service Trips (KWEST) is one of the most popular student activities at the Kellogg School, bringing together incoming students through a variety of wilderness and community service activities held before Pre-Term. This optional program introduces students to a core group of friends and allows you to experience firsthand the teamwork that will be central to your Kellogg experience.

The program is run exclusively by second-year students, who organize trips to some of the world’s most spectacular outdoor destinations. Each year, about 500 incoming students and their partners participate in the trips, which include a mandatory community service component. KWEST is open to all One-Year, Two-Year and MMM students.

“My closest friends at Kellogg are friends I made on my KWEST trip. We had conversations far beyond the typical ‘where are you from, what did you do’ and really got to know each other well. It was great to start school with 23 friends.” — Todd Van Horn, KWEST Bolivia.

Each KWEST trip combines up to four days of meaningful volunteer work with adventure, exploration and fun. The volunteer efforts are coordinated with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the United Nations, and the World Wildlife Fund. Recent KWEST trips include some of the United States’ most beautiful locations such as Maine, Montana, Salmon River, Idaho and Yosemite National Park, as well as international destinations such as Belize, Costa Rica, Peru, St. John’s, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Iceland, Mexico, and Switzerland.