Study Abroad Fair informs students of international opportunities
Leila Barth from Seamester informs students about a different kind of study abroad program.
Students interested in studying abroad got to learn about the different opportunities provided during the Traveling Tukwut Study Abroad Fair.
Global Education hosted over a dozen study abroad programs in front of the USU on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. so that students interested in studying abroad could interact with and find out information about the programs provided.
There were a variety of study abroad programs for students to choose from, each providing a different kind of opportunity for students with certain interests. Some of these programs included internships, volunteer work and unique types of learning experiences.
Seamester, a study abroad program at sea, was different from the other programs at the fair. Students who study abroad with Seamester live on-board a sailboat for the duration of their study abroad experience, traveling across the ocean until they get to their final destination.
Leila Barth, an Enrollment & Admissions Advisor at Seamester, said with Seamester, “You become a part of the crew because you’ll be working on that boat, sailing the boat, making dinner for everyone aboard the boat [and] provisioning.”
Barth also said students “learn to sail, scuba dive and have your classes aboard the boat.”
The study abroad fair also had booths that informed students of the winter-term study abroad programs led by academic departments at CSUSM.
The three winter study abroad programs at the fair were January in Guatemala: Spanish/Modern Languages, January in Germany & Austria: Positive Psychology and January in Italy: Ancient Rome and Its Legacy.
The Guatemala Language & Culture winter program focuses on learning about Mayan culture and language in a small town in the northwestern mountains in Guatemala for 18 days, from Dec. 28 to Jan. 12.
Dr. Michael Hughes, an associate professor of Modern Language and faculty leader of the January in Guatemala program, said, “We work with a group of Mayan families… who we’ve been working with for a long time. We weave needles at their house and work on different projects with them. The kinds of projects are… working and learning how to cook different foods or different cultural practices.”
“This program is an interesting program for people who are looking for kind of an adventurous program, to step out of their normal day to day life,” said Hughes, “We are immersed in Mayan culture for quite a while, a lot of our students really enjoy seeing something so different.”
Alondra Escalona, a third-year environmental science major who mentioned that studying abroad is a priority to her, said the study abroad fair “was super convenient and accessible. I didn’t have to walk around the entire campus to look for it.”
Escalona said that the CSU International Programs booth was her favorite, because it “was very informational and straight-forward on what they said they can cover and the term lengths of summer or even up to a year.”
Escalona said that studying abroad is important, because while “It might sound scary being alone in another country, that’s how you grow as a person to become independent.”