From Darkness To Light
An Educational Experience That Shapes Lives—and the Future Stan State Response
From Darkness to Light is a faculty-led, short-term study abroad program offered by California State University, Stanislaus that immerses participants in a two-week educational journey through Germany and Poland, engaging directly with the historical sites, lived stories, and enduring lessons of the Holocaust.
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Why This Program Matters Now
Historian Yehuda Bauer described the Holocaust as a central event of modern Western history and warned that it can either serve as a precedent—or as a warning. This program embraces the responsibility to ensure it is the latter.
Participants explore not only the Holocaust itself, but also:
- The rise of antisemitism, racism, and extreme nationalism
- The ordinary human choices that enabled mass violence
- The lives, cultures, and communities that existed before destruction
- The courage of those who resisted, rescued, or bore witness
In doing so, the program equips students and community members to recognize the warning signs of hatred and to respond with critical thinking, empathy, and ethical leadership.