Imagine seeing the Terracotta Warriors of China, standing on the Great Wall, riding the London Eye, going on a safari through Africa or sledding down the Swiss Alps. Even still, imagine being part of the history that recently took place in the United States with President Barack Obama taking office. Some of these things many have only dreamed about or pictured on a postcard.

However, local student Regan Williams has been blessed beyond her years with an opportunity to experience all this and more. Williams, a student at Pell City High School, has been able to have these opportunities through a program called People to People. The program was founded on September 11, 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower as a way “to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among people of different countries and diverse cultures.”

Williams said that she first got the chance to travel with other students after being nominated by a teacher, friend or previous traveler as a sixth grader. She is not exactly sure which, but she said that she is thankful to be offered such experiences. Her high GPA has also been a factor.

During her most recent trip, Williams traveled with a group of students to Washington D.C. for the presidential inauguration. Students were able to visit museums and memorials and explore the city.

Williams said that when she stepped out on the National Mall for the inauguration, “there was a sense of being there and being a part of history.”

“The most memorable part of the trip was the Lincoln Memorial and the show we watched at the Kennedy Center,” said Williams. “The show was a murder mystery called Shear Madness. It was hilarious.”

“It was a great trip all-in-all,” she continued. “If you ever get the chance to go, you should. Take any opportunity you get.”

Williams’ mom, Karen, said it is amazing that when parents get the letter from People to People saying that their child has an opportunity of a lifetime, that they just don’t let their children go.

She added that sure it costs money, which the students have to raise, and it may seem a little scary at first, but that it is actually a great organization that is doing extraordinary things for people.

“A lot of people are like, ‘how can you let your daughter go when you don’t exactly know whom she is with,’ but how can you not,” she said.

“She has been able to go all over the world, more than most adults. I know adults right now who have never been out of the country, who have never been out of the southern states. She has gotten to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. She’s gotten to ride the London Eye. She’s got to visit the Black Forrest in Germany. She got to bobsled down the Swiss Alps.

How could you not let them go? It’s so worth it.”

Williams and her mom add that the whole premise of People to People was that if people knew people in other parts of the world, there would be less war.

“People are just people in other parts of the world,” said Karen. “They have the same problems we do. It’s just in a different language. If we don’t know them, we think they are sometimes different from us and they’re not.”

Williams added that the organization took people to Berlin before the Berlin Wall fell and to Russia before the Iron Curtain ever fell. “It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “People just need to know other people.”

She added that she does not have a any trip in particular that was her favorite. They are all her favorite.

She has made friends with people in New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas and across the states, as well as those in Australia, England, Africa and across the continents. Her peers and adults consider her to be a world traveler. Her life has changed and her biggest piece of advice to anyone interested in traveling is to take the chance and discover a world outside the box. “It’s an experience of a lifetime,” she said.

For more information on People to People International visit www.ptpi.org.