San Pietro Summer Travel Prize
San Pietro Summer Travel Prize
The application timeframe for summer 2026 is closed.
About the Prize
Craig SanPietro (Caltech Class of 1969) has generously endowed a summer travel prize for rising juniors, seniors, and continuing or graduating seniors. Inspired by his own extensive travels, Mr. SanPietro hopes to give Caltech students the chance to broaden their horizons through meaningful and adventurous travel. As he reflects, travel immersed him in unfamiliar cultural and physical environments that challenged him and made him feel more alive—an experience he wishes to share with others.
The SanPietro Travel Prize supports summer travel in the U.S. or abroad for two weeks to three months, beginning after the end of spring term and concluding before fall term. Students must spend at least 14 days on the ground, excluding travel days. The prize is intended for fun, exploration, and personal growth, whether as a standalone summer experience, a follow-up to summer research, or preparation for fall study abroad. There is no academic component, no language requirement, and no limit on the number of countries visited.
Students may travel solo or as a pair. Pair proposals are permitted provided both applicants are eligible Caltech students. Applicants should clearly explain how the experience will challenge them and expand their understanding of the world.
Adventurous travel does not have to be extreme. It may include experiences such as a road trip along the Mississippi River, a canoe journey in Vermont, exploring family heritage abroad, or immersing oneself in a culture far from home.
See application requirements here.
Prize History
Below is an overview of Mr. SanPietro's own travel and his comments on why he has endowed this exciting prize:
1971: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama; 1972: Peru, Bolivia; 1974: Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica; 1975: Canada; 1976: Japan; 1977: Egypt; 1978: Kenya, Tanzania; 1981: Holland, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal; 1983: England; 1984: Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti; 1986: Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay; 1991: Portugal, Spain; 1994: Jamaica, 1995: Italy; 2000: Israel, Jordan; 2005: Ireland; 2007: Argentina, Turkey; 2008: Thailand, Cambodia; 2009: Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary; 2010: Colombia; 2011: Dominican Republic, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; 2012: Cuba
"Award decisions should be based more upon the potential for broadening the students' cultural experiences than relevance to academic coursework, and some preference should be given to cultures more different from America's. Since leaving Caltech in 1969, I have traveled through 50 countries, mostly in the third world. This travel has greatly enriched my life and I want to make similar experiences available to Caltech students. Hopefully, this travel can immerse you in unusual cultural and physical situations that challenge you and make you feel more alive.
I've driven to Panama, been held up in Mexico City, had a bus driver handcuffed and arrested in the Yucatan, driven through rivers in Honduras, been married in Peru, fixed dead-in-the-water steamship engines on the Amazon, been arrested myself at gunpoint in Brazil, gambled in Paraguay, blown out 2 tires in a dry river bed in Kenya and been charged by an elephant later the same day, body surfed in Indonesia, bent fenders in Dominica and Italy, guided lost taxi drivers in Japan and Uzbekistan, walked across fields of compressed human feces in Nepal, locked myself out of my car in Sri Lanka, been stranded in the Delhi airport, capsized a raft in New Zealand white water, temporarily lost my daughter in Spain, slept in a Turkish hotel carved out of rock, broke Ramadan fasting with Kurdish dissidents who had guided me past army tanks, almost flooded a Guatemalan village while working with Caltech students, picked the liquor cabinet lock on a Danube river boat, and attended Jewish Sabbath services in Uzbekistan."
Summer 2025 Winners Edward Speer & Ryan Wong
United by a shared love of baseball, these students traveled to Japan to explore culture through everyday life. Using baseball as an entry point, they engaged deeply with Japan's history, traditions, and regional identities—from iconic cultural sites to local markets and NPB stadiums. Traveling together, they challenged themselves beyond their comfort zones and returned with broadened perspectives and a more empathetic, globally minded outlook.
Summer 2025 Winner Otis Otieno
Inspired by the Māori haka and a lifelong connection to rugby, Otis traveled to New Zealand to explore the intersection of culture, nature, and endurance. Through hiking iconic landscapes and engaging with Māori traditions, he challenged himself physically and culturally while gaining deeper insight into sustainability and indigenous perspectives. The experience pushed him beyond his academic routine and returned to Caltech with renewed adaptability, curiosity, and a broader global outlook.