April Feature - Julia P.: How Study Abroad Builds Perspective

In this month’s feature you’ll meet Julia “GG” P., an EdOdyssey alumnae and current senior at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. She spoke with us about how travel has changed her, and you’ll see how her past experiences abroad continue to shape her and her future plans.

GG’s START IN TRAVEL

Originally from New Hampshire, she relocated to central Massachusetts to attend Worcester Academy, a prep school in Worcester. As a student, she played hockey and jumped at any opportunity to travel.

Reflecting on her upbringing, she credits her grandma for her endless curiosity about the world. Born in Ecuador, GG’s grandmother attended college in the US, where she met her husband, GG’s grandfather, in Missouri. 

In high school, GG participated in two international adventures that remain close to her heart today. The first was to the Dominican Republic where she spent a week teaching English to students in an elementary and middle school (grades 1- 8). The second brought her to Peru with EdOdyssey.

Her time in Peru, as she recalls, was “a 10 wild days” of on-the-go adventure during her Spring Break in March 2017. The itinerary included Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu and left her feeling “renewed.” 

After graduating from Worcester Academy, she chose to continue her education just a few miles away at College of the Holy Cross. As a freshman, she walked onto the hockey team and this year, as a senior, was named captain. She is currently a Senior majoring in physics with a minor in Latinx & Caribbean Studies. 

A LOOK BACK AT PERU

Sasaywoman, the ancient Incan ruins just outside of downtown Cusco, remains a favorite. She was in awe of the architecture and still remembers the humbling feeling of exploring the ruins:

“I never felt so small.”

Four years after her time in Peru, she still vividly recalls the dew and the clouds covering the landscape and the surrounding Andes mountains in the distance. Almost all people think of Peru and Machu Picchu, but she says that these ancient ruins continue to stand out to her.

ADVICE FOR HER YOUNGER SELF

If given the chance, she was asked about what she would say to the high school version of herself.

Her advice to other younger students? Totally immerse yourself in the experience, build relationships with the rest of the group, and live in the moment.

After her trip to Peru, they had a unique common bond and she wishes that she had longer lasting friendships. 

LOOKING AHEAD IN HER CAREER

Her ambitions go beyond working in a lab, and she plans to get more involved with project & program management.

“I love physics, and I like the challenge of being a part of a major that is mostly represented by men.”

Her aspirations include traveling the world as a project manager because, as she shared:

"I want more of a world view for the rest of my life."

In preparation for graduation, some thoughts and advice came to mind that she shared with her fellow college athletes.

STUDY ABROAD & TRAVEL TIPS FOR STUDENT ATHLETES

GG provided us some great tips and insights for students involved in sports:

• Have the conversation with your coach: If you’re not in season, take some time and show that it means a lot to you. She feels lucky to have a supportive coach who understands her passion for travel. 

• Use your time management skills: Manage your time, plan ahead, and look at your courses!

• Go solo: Coming from a college team and teammates, sometimes it can feel different to break out and go off on your own, and as GG says:

“Don’t be afraid to travel on your own.”

The pandemic disrupted her plans to study abroad and do a May-mester in Spain, but she has plans to travel after she graduates to continue learning more abroad. 

STAYING CONNECTED TO EXPERIENCES ABROAD

Her friends and family have kept the conversations alive, and their chats have fueled her future plans.

• Friends: Sarah, a friend on campus, studied abroad in Peru and GG feels like they have stayed close because both of them connected to the Peruvian culture and experience.

• Family: She has family in Ecuador, and her grandma came from Ecuador, so it allows her to stay connected with those experiences.

• Future Planning: Her conversations have helped her keep travel high on her list and not lose sight of it. 

“It’s important to give travel a shot!”

LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST EXPERIENCES

When looking back at previous travel experiences, GG offers her insights and perspective:

“Travel is something that everyone can enjoy if they are presented an opportunity.”

On her past travel experiences, including EdOdyssey experience, she noticed a lot of students from different interests and backgrounds come together and really bonded throughout the experience. When asked about EdOdyssey’s reflections, she shared the following:

“I learned a lot from Peter [McGovern, President of EdOdyssey] and the way he sees the world. He was always excited.”

She learned a lot from her younger brother, Mitchell, who reminded her to take photos with her. Their experiences together were a surprise when he opened up more than she had expected.

“My relationship with my brother grew incredible amounts in such a short period of time.”

FUTURE PLANS & ADVICE FOR HER PEERS

Experiences provide us insights into other people and their careers, and GG encourages her peers to not feel pressure for a rigid career path.

“It's important to learn from people and their experiences, but it also takes time to do that.”

She wants her peers to focus on the end goal and reflect on the fact that there won’t be one path to get there. For her, project management doesn’t exactly connect with her physics major, but she sees her past experiences as a great stepping stone for her career.

As our team and our world builds back to student travel, we hope that her experiences show that the power of travel and how it unites different parts of our lives!

Interested in being a monthly feature later this year? Fill out our monthly feature form for a chance to share your story with us and our travel community!

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Monthly Feature: Matt W.'s Study Abroad Experiences and How Travel Influences Your Career

INTRODUCING MONTHLY FEATURE

Each month we will feature an EdOdyssey alum or a passionate traveler who embodies our values and connects their study abroad to themselves.

Today, we introduce Matt W., a native of Franklin, Massachusetts, shares his personal growth throughout his study abroad experiences and how it’s provided him guidance toward his career in law.

Our hope, as educators, is to share how growth through travel is a process. 

HIGH SCHOOL: BUILDING INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

In high school, he always moved abroad and he hadn't gone abroad so he took advantage of as many programs as possible. He did a mission trip to El Salvador his freshman year and later participated in an exchange program in Spain as well as a short term visit to China. 

From all these study abroad trips, he realized that he wanted to be exposed to even more diversity and an even different way of life for a longer period of time. These collective experiences inspired him to study abroad for a semester so he could enjoy more of an immersive experience.

COLLEGE ABROAD: GAINING PERSPECTIVE

Matt knew that he wanted even more of that local feel that he had from his exchange in Spain, so he decided to study abroad in South America and he mentioned that he wanted to do a homestay. 

Even with years of Spanish under his belt, he still felt like he was building out from his beginner Spanish, but he said that his homestay experience helped him and helped him with his conversational Spanish. 

In the classroom, his classes largely focused on his international studies major that included a notable law class that he’ll never forget. Andrea Colgada, one of his professors in Buenos Aires, led an international law course in Spanish that made him see law from another perspective.

Outside of her role as professor, Matt mentioned that he loved how she had so many her experiences outside of the classroom.

She practiced law in the local courts, was a policy adviser, and understood the depth of complex international treaties. Her wide knowledge base in so many areas, and her involvement in different aspects of law, gave him a greater appreciation and perspective on the different ways that he pursue a career as a lawyer. 

LESSONS LEARNED FROM STUDY ABROAD

If you get food on your plate, Matt would encourage you to do your best to eat it because leaving food on your plate in many cultures can send the wrong message. 

“You respect people through their food.”

In China, there was initial fright because of the amount of cameras. In El Salvador, there is barbed wire around the building. In Argentina, the power sometimes cut out. 

Matt shared that life can feel different when you're in a different location and realizing where you are in the world, and makes you even more conscious and aware of your surroundings. Throughout all these experiences, he realized that breaking out of his bubble from a place of personal growth. 

To this day, Matt stays connected with his homestay mother in Argentina. When the social media memories come up on his platforms, he always stops to reflect on what he’s learned and what he’s done to grow from experiences.

LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

Matt wants to continue seeking his passions. He doesn't have a concrete, set-in-stone path in front of him, but he knows that he wants to find what he loves. He aspires to integrate his past experiences into his passions, and ultimately he wants to keep working to find his exact purpose in life. He wants to find what he loves. 

Our team thanks Matt for sharing his experiences with us! If you too would like to share your story, please fill out our EdOdyssey’s Monthly Feature for a chance to featured and we’ll be in touch if you’re selected!

Black History Month: The Importance of American Black Leadership in the World

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate it, you’ll learn about how travel experiences abroad have influenced and made an impact on the lives of American black leaders. 

These leaders provide us with meaningful quotes that give us as readers insights from interviews, speeches and written memoirs. Their experiences come from short term travel and relocating to a new country. 

They’ve happened at different times and in countries all around the world. 

Obama to Spain 

After Obama graduated college, he went to Europe before visiting his father’s homeland of Kenya. Obama recounted his stop in Spain to the British Broadcasting Company (BBC):

“...we arrived in Barcelona and it was just daybreak, and I remember walking towards the Ramblas, towards town, and the sun was coming up. And so, those kinds of trips are memorable because they’re part of you as a young person trying to discover what your place in the world is.”

At the end of the president’s 2nd term in July 2016, Obama returned to Spain for a visit and met with the king. 

“Travel also reminds us of what we share and what we have become – the ability for us to recognise ourselves in each other”

For some leaders, these experiences have been shorter immersion experiences, but for others, it has been much more of a longer term immersion experience. 

Kamala Harris in Montreal

Original photos courtesy of @kamalaharris instagram (left) and English Montreal School Board Facebook (right)

When Vice President Kamala Harris was growing up, her mother worked at a local university in Montreal and Vice President Harris spent a good portion of her childhood in Montreal. 

According to the L.A Times, Harris attended most of secondary school (7th grade - senior year of high school) in Montreal and its Westmount neighborhood. Harris graduated from Westmount High School in 1981.

“I used to joke that I felt like a duck because all day long at our new school I'd be saying 'Quoi? Quoi? Quoi?'” - Kamala Harris in her 2019 Memoir “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”

Based on Harris’ quote, we see the universal challenge of travel that comes from learning a language and a sense of the cultural assimilation that takes place when moving to a new country. 

During Vice President Kamala Harris’ first days in office, she made one of her first international calls to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Treadeau. These travel experiences abroad have created an ability to strengthen international relationships. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Berlin 

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the Berlin Wall, it was less than five years old and John F. Kennedy had been assassinated within recent memory. Dr. King gave a moving speech that focused on the call for unity around the world. 

Original photo courtesy of PhotoQuest—Getty Images

“There is no East, no West, no North, no South, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole, wide world.” 

“Men and women search for meaning, hope for fulfillment, yearn for faith in something beyond themselves, and cry desperately for love and community to support them in this pilgrim journey.”

He called to break down the barriers that were separating people and to find meaning in literal and figurative common ground, given that Jim Crow laws and segregation still existed at the time of his speech.  

In the honor of late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many countries around the world have incorporated his name on streets and in public spaces around the world.  

The words and connections that American black leaders have made around the world continue to leave an indelible mark on global community. Their work and effort to break down barriers and bring the world closer together resonates with our organization’s motto: “Through international exposure, we mature to be a more understanding, respectful, and impassioned world.” We will only grow and truly embrace that maturation as a worldwide community if black voices and the black community have the support of all organizations in our space. 

The importance of organizations that support diversity and inclusion, and during this month particularly, organizations that support black students and students of color. In the field of international education, diverse student representation in study abroad matters, and with that in mind, we ask that you please support our friends the following organizations:

Teens of Color Abroad

Diversity Abroad

URep Abroad

Did we miss a great organization that we should add to the list? Please email Joe Meringolo (joe@edodyssey.com)

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Sources:

Belfer, Ilana. “Kamala Harris’ Montreal High School Posted Her Yearbook Photos From 1981.” MTL Blog, 8 Nov. 2020, www.mtlblog.com/en-ca/news/montreal/kamala-harris-montreal-high-school-posted-her-yearbook-photos-from-1981.

Bilefsky, Dan. “Kamala Harris’s ‘Canadian Dream.’” The New York Times, 3 Nov. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/world/canada/kamala-harris-canada.html.

Harris, Nadia-Elysse. “Martin Luther King, Jr. Traveled About 6 Million Miles Between 1957 And 1968.” TravelNoire, 18 Jan. 2019, travelnoire.com/martin-luther-king-jr-traveled-about-6-million-miles-between-1957-and-1968.

MacDonald, Thomas. “Former Montrealer VP Kamala Harris Spoke About Her Time In The City With Trudeau.” MTL Blog, 2 Feb. 2021, www.mtlblog.com/en-ca/news/montreal/former-montrealer-vp-kamala-harris-spoke-about-her-time-in-the-city-with-trudeau.

Reynolds, Christopher. “The 5 Places That Shaped Kamala Harris, Including Montreal.” Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2020, www.latimes.com/travel/story/2020-08-11/five-places-that-have-shaped-kamala-harris.

Selena Ross, and Selena Ross. “‘How Canadian Is She?’ Probably More than You Think, Say Kamala Harris’ One-Time Montreal Classmates.” Montreal, 12 Aug. 2020, montreal.ctvnews.ca/how-canadian-is-she-probably-more-than-you-think-say-kamala-harris-one-time-montreal-classmates-1.5060720.

Wazman, Olivia. “What Martin Luther King Jr. Said About Walls During His 1964 Visit to Berlin.” Time, 18 Jan. 2019, time.com/5504826/martin-luther-king-wall-history.

Williams, Yohuru. “Martin Luther King and ‘God’s Children’ on Both Sides of the Border Wall.” Progressive.Org, 9 May 2019, progressive.org/dispatches/martin-luther-king-gods-children-borderwall-Williams-190115.

Why Gratefulness in 2021 Matters

A new year and new semester is now underway, but it is never too late to reflect on what last year left us with, and to ask ourselves: was everything we went through even worth it? How could we really take something positive out of such an intense year? 

The entire world breathed a collective sigh of relief when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve and the calendar read 2021.

However, if you are still feeling exhausted, drained and stuck under the weight of 2020, our team wants to let you know that you are not alone and we felt important to reflect on this sentiment and to keep it all in perspective.

Grateful for Challenges

Although we’d all like to pretend the past year didn’t happen, or that it is already in the past, it’s important that we pay very close attention to all those challenges that made it such an intense year and to learn from them.

To many of us, 2020 meant a significant and major change on our routines, plans, goals and on our personal structures too. 

And for you, if you’re a high school or college student, it meant a significant change in terms of your learning process, but also your way of socializing. You adapted to new ways of studying, communicating and connecting not only with your classmates and teachers but with your friends and family too, and you worked to overcome those difficult challenges. 

The challenges that you’ve faced as an individual within a bigger society have left us with major lessons about solidarity, justice, and adaptability that we all need to implement in our current, respective lives. Collectively, we’ll take these lessons to build a new one that goes beyond society itself and structure a new sense of community: a much more conscious, compassionate and responsible one. 

Just as for us, as a company and as a group of individuals from around the world: many of our plans had to change when the pandemic hit, and we were suddenly stuck in a dense uncertainty cloud with no clear path in front of us. However, it was right in the middle of the crisis that our team found a way to rise above the challenge of the pandemic together, as we’ve always been, and luckily with the same team we had at the start of 2020. 

Grateful for Innovation

For our team, we created two passport-free programs to provide students the ability to connect with an international experience, even if it was virtual. Our Virtual Study Abroad program in partnership with the most prestigious university in Peru, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Additionally, our team created an unbelievable Medical Spanish & Latinx Patient Program integrated Medical Spanish language classes.

Each program had workshops focused on latin culture backgrounds too that are both online and affordable options for students in need of, even under hard circumstances, continue learning and exploring into global perspectives.

Grateful for Growth

So, how could each and everyone one of us feel grateful for 2020? During last year, have you reflected on the fact that challenges, such as economic and political crises and health systems collapsing, have always been a common thing in the world?

They didn’t start in 2020, but somehow no year has ever brought out in such a uniform way, how necessary it is to start thinking even more collectively and to take responsibility for ourselves and others, and how little we really need to live happily.

Challenges will always be a common denominator that we all need to adapt too. So, going from there, why don’t we start approaching life from a grateful, wider perspective and focus on everything we have instead of everything we lack? 

Let’s appreciate what last year taught us. 

Let’s not forget all of those things that let us shine our truest and most vulnerable essence. 

Let’s grow into kindness, respect and care for and to one another. 

Let’s see life from a grateful approach.

Take a minute to think about this and reflect: what are you grateful for today? 

Our team is hopeful the world will become a better and safer place for all of us. We are grateful for being alive, healthy and for the incredible opportunity to keep doing what we love most, despite what’s happening in the world. 

As our organization looks ahead, we are very excited to welcome a new year with you and thrilled to tell you about all of what we have planned for you both online and through future in-person programs.

This 2021 is filled with travel opportunities we need to know how to take advantage of in the most careful and responsible possible way. 

Want to keep connected with us and learn more about our programs ahead? Don’t forget to follow us on all of our social media below! Let’s get it started!

Starting International Education Week: An Open Letter to Students

Dear Students,

My name is Patty Valencia and I am the Peruvian Program Coordinator at EdOdyssey.

As the International Education Week starts this week, as it typically does in mid-November, I started reflecting on how valuable and resourceful studying abroad truly is. This time, I am not going to put my attention in the academic nor the cultural side, but the personal, friendly one.

As the program coordinator, I have seen many of you come and go. All arrivals have always been different, I can’t argue that. Some of you come exhausted for the long flight. Others come tired but truly enthusiastic and then we have the ones with an impenetrable look and silence treat, quite an enigma.

So yes, arrivals are all different and uniques. But the farewells? Oh, the farewells.

You see, it is not a small decision to live abroad for half of year or an entire year. It is a big decision that implies a lot of smaller choices, especially if you decide to move to Peru, this beautifully different country than your own.

But let me be completely sincere about something here. That great gap between your culture and ours, between your country and mine, and between your possibilities there and here. All of it means your experiences will easily be the biggest effect of your experience in Peru. Or as I see it: personal growth.

I am not saying here that your entire time in my country will be negative, but I am saying it can indeed take you out of your comfort zone.

That’s for sure.

Your experience will present you a range of realities, some harder than others, and it can fiercely force you to reflect. Your time abroad will make you go deep inside yourself as an individual and question all those things you may have taken for granted.

Your experience can, and it most likely will, make you see yourself in a different light and in connection with others. It can really shape a different you. A more conscious, grateful, and humble version of you.

That future you, from my perspective, is the most powerful effect about your experience here. And I promise, it won’t go away.

In my eyes, if you ever ask what do i prefer: if hellos or goodbyes (you haven’t asked but I am going to answer just in case), I prefer the goodbyes. And not because the fact of saying goodbye, but because of the light, love and growth that I see shine in your eyes.

Those looks of you after those last hugs are fuel for me. They the exact thing that makes me love my job the most.

I miss you all so much. Keep shining that beautiful light of yours onto the world. For now, take care of yourselves, kids!

Hasta que nos volvamos a encontrar,

Patty

Want to take your first step toward an in-person experience? Check out our virtual study abroad here!

Eight Reasons Why You Should Consider a Virtual Study Abroad Experience

Written by Guest Blogger: Sara Cavalieri

So your plan was to study abroad this semester or the next semester. Maybe you were planning to do your entire degree overseas.

You did the research; maybe you had even chosen your destination, applied, got accepted, booked your flights and were all set to begin your adventure.

And then COVID-19 hit, and everywhere you looked, borders were closing, flights were being cancelled, cases were spiking, and there was just a large amount of uncertainty on every corner.

Now what? Enter… virtual experiences; or virtual study abroad if you like.

With so many of us finding extra time in our day from not commuting, or traveling as much, here are 8 reasons why you should consider enrolling in a virtual experience:

1. They’re confirmed – How many other activities can say the same? As businesses are forced to open and close from one day to the next, there’s nothing ‘uncertain’ here; with a virtual program, consider your plans a lock. Having that ‘confirmation’ sure would feel nice, right?

2. They’re comfortable – It’s culture without so much of the shock. You will often find yourself in a virtual classroom with students and teachers from around the globe; giving you an instant network. And it may be that you’ll be able to travel with this group at a later stage, making the transition and process of forming connections so much easier.

3. They’re flexible – You can often tailor your virtual experience around your job or other responsibilities. When is it most convenient for you to “leave your local behind’?

4. They look great on your resume – If you’re applying for college, grad school or jobs soon, they may want to know how you engaged with your subject area when you couldn’t do so in person. Virtual experiences are an excellent activity to add to your resume, as they are great talking points and examples of how you took the initiative to further your learning and thought outside the box.

5. They’re safe – You won’t have to worry about picking up the virus or potentially having to get vaccinated for other diseases; you get to enjoy the experience from the comfort of your own home/study space.

6. More money in your pocket – Without having to pay for flights or accommodation, the investment is lower. This means that some students who wouldn’t normally have been able to go overseas at all can participate.

7. No passport or visa required – And this means you don’t have to plan 3-6 months in advance. You may even be able to jump on a program just a few days away. Have a look and see what’s out there!

8. Discover new interests – Maybe you’re interested in Italian cuisine and this type of course isn’t offered where you live. Or maybe you’re in college and want to get credit for an elective not offered at your institution. Either way, virtual experiences give you the space to explore new interests that may or may not be relevant to your future career but in fact allow you to develop as a more well-rounded person.

Regardless of the program you choose, you’ll no doubt reap the benefits from adding a global flavor to your learning.

This includes increasing your cultural competencies, improving your communication skills and getting to delve deeper into a topic of interest, gaining a wide range of perspectives—and these are exactly the skills every employer is looking for nowadays.

But if nothing else, virtual experiences allow you to transport yourself away from the stresses and pressures of everyday life in a pandemic—something we all need to do from time to time.

Sara Cavalieri is the Founder/CEO of College Apps Abroad.

College Apps Abroad is an Independent Educational Consultant that specializes in providing advice and guidance on applying for college and grad school overseas in places such as the UK, Australia, Ireland and more.

Learn more about College Apps Abroad here.

The views and opinions expressed in guest features on EdOdyssey’s blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of EdOdyssey. Any content provided by our bloggers or guest authors are of their opinion.