Collegiate Times

Another summer session is upon us in Blacksburg, but for many Virginia Tech students, their summer school experience is happening far away from the confines of Blacksburg. This is made possible through different study abroad experiences taking place around the globe.

The summer session often provides the best time for some students, because it doesn’t interfere with academic schedules. Instead of Blacksburg being students’ home away from home, it is a completely different location such as China, Malawi, Fiji, the Dominican Republic or the Czech Republic.

We often take Blacksburg and its surroundings for granted, but on a study abroad trip, students are literally thrown into new surroundings. Sometimes, as participants, we are not prepared for what to expect. In the end, a lot of the experience will also depend on the students and their motivations and desires. A study abroad experience is not just a glorified vacation as some would say; it is an intentional and experientiallearning experience. I have certainly faced those students who just want to shop and party, but that is not the purpose of these efforts. If a student wants to do that, then he or she can do that through another opportunity.

I can speak from the vantage point of having participated in a study abroad as a student at the University of Florida, where after my freshman year I spent 10 weeks at the joint program at Cambridge. Looking back 19 years later, it is as vivid as it was yesterday, and the experience was pivotal in my personal development.

Today, I speak from the other perspective of having coordinated study abroad experiences, and I am actually coordinating one right now in Europe. I write this column from London where our program started this past Friday. Coordinating a study abroad trip is a great way to witness real learning taking place right before your eyes as students slowly begin to get out of their comfort zones and begin to observe their surroundings.

It is certainly not all fun and games, as a lot of planning goes into the logistics of a study abroad program, and there are a number of regulations that need to be followed. The goal is to provide the student with anopportunity to explore and learn about the area and topic.

Most of the students who have participated in my study abroad efforts have never traveled outside of the U.S. before, so the experience takes on added meaning for them. In some cases, these students may never have the opportunity again, so it is an once-in-a-lifetime moment.

This summer, for example, Tech students are experiencing opportunities throughout the entire world with programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, the Pacific Islands and elsewhere.

This global knowledge and awareness is critical for the development of the students and for the university.

 Our society is much more interconnected than ever before, and this global awareness is critical. These students become ambassadors for Tech, and in many respects, they are representatives for the American culture to others.  

Some will say that these students are the privileged ones, because they can afford it. I would argue that in some cases these students are relying on help from financial aid and families to make these experiences happen. I only wish that more could take the opportunity to engage in these efforts.

My philosophy in developing an experience is to keep program costs low to prevent money from becoming a barrier to students. When I went on my trip in the summer of 1991, I took out educational loans through the university to pay for the program fee and tuition, and then I used my first credit card to help pay for my airfare. My family could not afford this effort without the financial aid. While I did not have a lot of spending money, I was still able to experience something that forever changed me.

As we see study abroad opportunities expanding, I hope that faculty, staff and students will look into the benefits that these opportunities provide. The Education Abroad office is a great resource to help you get started. So as you think about your future plans, consider a study abroad effort before you graduate from Tech.

I look forward to sharing more throughout the summer of this year’s experiences with the students. Cheers!

A version of this article appeared in the May 27 issue of the Collegiate Times.