When Parker Pugh boarded the MV World Odyssey for the Spring 2025 Voyage, she wasn’t just beginning her study abroad journey—she was continuing a family tradition and legacy more than 40 years in the making.
Parker, a sociology and media studies double major at the University of California, Berkeley, and a member of the Cal Cheerleading team, is the tenth member of her extended family to sail on one of SAS’s life-changing voyages. Originally from Agoura Hills, California, Parker grew up hearing stories about Semester at Sea from her father, Jeff Pugh, as well as her uncles, cousins, and her older sister, all of whom had sailed before her.
The Pugh family SAS legacy began with Parker’s father, Jeff Pugh, who sailed in Spring 1981 while attending the University of Southern California. His brothers, Steve and Nate, followed in Jeff’s footsteps to sail in the 1980s. The tradition continued with Parker’s cousins Celina Buenrostro (Spring 2008), Kylie Pugh Rose (Fall 2015), Piper Pugh (Fall 2016), Ryan Pugh (Spring 2018), Makenna Pugh (Fall 2018), and Torri Pugh (Fall 2022, and who was awarded the CY Tung Legacy Scholarship).
As a heartfelt honorary mention, Parker’s sister’s partner, Jace Goforth, was also part of the Semester at Sea family—he sailed on the Fall 2017 Voyage.
“Semester at Sea has been life-changing beyond measure for everyone in my family,” Parker said. “I am so grateful that SAS is part of my family’s legacy.”
As a child, even before eventually sailing her own SAS voyage, the program was deeply ingrained in Parker’s life. She often chose Semester at Sea as the focus for school projects, and she recalls countless essays and presentations about the program. In addition, disembarkation days, when they were held in San Diego, served as a family outing—when a ship disembarked there, the Pugh family would gather to welcome the returning voyagers and share a celebratory lunch.
For the Pugh family, Semester at Sea is more than a voyage—it is a gateway to a lifetime of global exploration and cross-cultural curiosity. For many of them, it has marked the beginning of a lasting commitment to travel, with several family members continuing to explore the world long after their first SAS journey.
Of course, keeping to family tradition, Parker has followed suit. After disembarking in Bremerhaven, Germany, she explored Hamburg, Venice, Milan, Lake Como, Florence, London, Salzburg, Vienna, Paris, Kotor, Lisbon, Lagos, and Madrid. Along the way, she reconnected with Semester at Sea friends, including Helena Moll and Sam Sanford.
“What’s most important about Semester at Sea is that your perspective shifts,” Parker said. “The world really does become your classroom, and you also learn that there’s so much to learn beyond the classroom.”
Now, Parker carries on the family legacy of Semester at Sea–not only in her growing collection of passport stamps, but also in the strengthened worldview she shares with the many generations of her family who sailed before her. And, now, as the tenth member of her family to sail, she’s added her own chapter to a family legacy that will forever be intertwined with Semester at Sea.
