Wyatt in Panama Wyatt studied abroad in Panama, where he used his leadership minor skills to adjust to living independently in a new country. He enjoyed the interactive classes, especially completing a project that allowed him to interact with locals. Wyatt learned how to take on new challenges and is now interested in learning a second language.
Ash in Cuba Ash studied abroad in Cuba, where she conducted field research for a summa cum laude thesis outlining a political analysis of Cuba’s healthcare system. During this time she learned language skills, visited hospitals in Cuba, and interviewed Cubans about their history and experiences with revolutionary medicine.
Mariam in Uganda Mariam completed an internship with Child Family Health International in Uganda. Her internship experiences focused on HIV/AIDS and maternal prenatal healthcare, and she had the opportunity to shadow various clinics to observe the health care industry in Uganda.
Abby in Greece Abby arrived at the University of Minnesota with dreams of becoming a senator. She took her interests to Greece, where she studied democracy and rhetoric, and was inspired by the enthusiasm of her professors for all things Greek. Abby also spent one summer in Brazil and one in Havana, and credits her diverse educational experiences for preparing her to thrive in any career.
Siobhan in Jordan Global Studies and Arabic double major SIobhan decided to go to Amman, Jordan, where she could use her Arabic. Siobhan had a language partner to help her immerse herself in the culture and the language. Her classes and internship focused on educating and helping Iraqi refugees as well as learning from them.
Natalie in Ireland Natalie had never considered going abroad until the University of Minnesota Theater Arts & Dance Department introduced her to their new program at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. Natalie believes her time acting with the influence of the Irish perspective helped her become a more open minded artist and her theater performances became some of her favorite work. She also had the pleasure of attending many artistic shows and participating in a film festival.
Andi in France Andi spent a semester in Montepellier, France. As a Theater and Genetics major, French fit perfectly as her undergraduate language and fulfilled her dreams of studying abroad. She lived with a host family, which was the perfect experience to expose her to French culture and challenge her to increase her fluency in French.
Chantelle in Spain Chantelle, a Spanish minor, chose to study in Toledo, Spain to improve her language skills and complete her minor. She lived with a host family and bonded with her pseudo Spanish mom. Her favorite Spanish event was Semana Santa, a week of parades and fun festivities. Chantelle learned a lot about traveling in a foreign language, eating foreign food, and visiting different cities.
Riley in Morocco Riley took his interests to the global scale when he studied abroad in Morocco, which provided inspiration for the topic of his senior thesis. In high school, Riley participated in an exchange program with teenagers from Iraq, which inspired him to learn Arabic and influenced the location of his semester abroad in college.
Sara in Ireland Sara studied abroad in Limerick, Ireland. She knew she wanted to go to Ireland because she has family heritage there. She applied for a research grant to complete a practicum for her history major at the University of Limerick, where she lived and traveled with five other girls from the U.S.