ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Students from St. Cloud State University (SCSU) are studying in England right now, and they’re witnessing history firsthand following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
"Walking through the big gates and seeing a big castle every night when you come home is amazing," said SCSU student Aaron Gregory.
Gregory is talking about Alnwick Castle.
He, along with Alyssa Goerger-Stacy and Alyssa Oelmann are students from SCSU, but for the semester, they'll be calling the castle home.
"We're studying rhetoric in popular culture, a couple history of England classes," said Gregory. "You can tell there's definitely a change in mood. I've seen quite a few people, dressed in black for the mourning. It feels more somber.”
“It's a lot less busy. We usually see a lot more people walking around in shops and it's not as much today," said Oelmann.
SCSU students are approaching two weeks abroad.
“In the time they've been here, not only a monarch who had reigned for 70 years, but the transition of a prime minister," said Dr. Emil Towner, a professor at SCSU. "So, in the short time they've been here, a lot has changed."
Towner is also abroad and teaching the group.
"If you think about the seismic shift that has happened, just in the short time they've been here. It's incredible," he said. "This is one of the most important aspects that they'll experience while they're here if not the most in the next 40 years. This is what they'll remember."
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