Study Abroad Month

By Shelby Townsend
Staff Writer

February is Study Abroad Month, which means that each week, Hillwood Commons will host “different tables highlighting different study abroad programs,” according to Patricia Seaman, director of the Study Abroad program.

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, and Wednesday, Feb. 3, multiple professors sat behind tables filled with flyers on faculty-led study abroad programs, which are offered in the summer. Each program varies depending on the professor’s eld. Some of the locations include England, Slovenia, Tanzania and France. Courses offered include economics, English, nutrition and theater. These programs offer a hands-on experience while also gaining credits, according to Seaman.

Caitlin Kennedy, a senior health science major who is also a study abroad ambassador, has been involved in helping with the events at Hillwood Commons this month. She is able to share her experiences travelling abroad to Peru through a FLSA program and studying for a semester in Sevilla, Spain. During her time with Professor Hiatt’s political science and history course in Peru, she said she got to study and experience the local culture and history during overnight trips to other parts of the country.

“Taking a history class at the site is really an incredible experience because you are not just reading about it,” Kennedy said. “You are going out and touching the stones of the sites and seeing the magnitude of this ancient culture.”

The study abroad tables are an easy way for students to get detailed information from study abroad ambassadors like Kennedy and the professors who teach the courses abroad.

“If it were up to me, I would make it a requirement to study abroad,” Kennedy said, pointing out that she not only learned a lot about the cultures of the countries she was studying in, but she also learned about herself. While in Budapest, she said she was able to navigate the streets, which she never thought would have been possible.

Other tables for Study Abroad Month include both affiliate and non-affiliate schools, where representatives will speak with students; student ambassadors who have already studied abroad; and LIU Global. Students not only get to learn about different opportunities around the world, but information on scholarships and financial aid are also available.

The tables will be set up throughout the month, two days a week in front of The Treat Shoppe in Hillwood Commons from 12:30-2:30 p.m. This week IES, a non-affiliated school, was here on Feb.
9, and study abroad ambassadors will be available to chat on Feb. 11.

For more information, visit LIU Study Abroad office in Winnick or the LIU Study Abroad Facebook page, where the schedule of events is posted.