Attached are photos of Seneca Valley senior Jacob Geil, 17, of Seven Fields, during his month-long trip to study abroad in South Africa.

SEVEN FIELDS — A Seneca Valley High School senior achieved one of his goals during his recent scholarship-funded leadership trip to South Africa.

“It's always been a dream of mine to study abroad,” Jacob Geil said after his return earlier this month.

Jacob, 17, son of Elena and Steve Geil of Seven Fields, studied abroad as part of The Experiment Leadership Institute, an intensive pre-college leadership training program, and participated in the Youth Leadership in Peace, Politics and Human Rights program.

“The program centered around the theme of peace and human rights, which is something I want to pursue, so those things combined intrigued me to apply,” he said.

Jacob said his favorite part of the trip was seeing so much of South Africa.

“I got to stay in so many unique parts,” he said. “It's so rich in culture and history and natural beauty — getting to see the mountains and the city and seeing the contrast there — I had a great time.”

When Jacob returned, his group members spent another week in Vermont to talk about what they had learned and develop ideas for community projects.

Read Wednesday's Butler Eagle to find out more about Geil's trip.