当我们变老, we don’t have as many opportunities, but the learning you get from going abroad is very different than learning in a classroom.
As she walked the streets of Lisbon, Portugal, this summer, there were moments when 詹妮弗Mederios, G’24, felt a sense of disbelief: It was hard to accept she was so many miles from home.
“随着年龄的增长, we don’t have as many opportunities, but the learning you get from going abroad is very different than learning in a classroom,詹妮弗说。, who is working toward her master’s degree in social work.
珍妮花, and 17 other ladbrokes立博中文版 graduate students from across all disciplines, made the journey to Portugal as part of a graduate-level course called 领导 and 健康. It is the first-ever graduate-only study abroad program BSU has offered.
The trip was partially funded by the David B. Jenkins Graduate Research Initiative Endowed Fund.
珍妮花 also received a social justice award to help partially fund her expenses from The 首页。 for Little Wanderers, where she works as a program director.
他们在葡萄牙的时候, students visited organizations to learn more about the country’s social services and mental health offerings, and how they compare to those in the United States.
They also soaked in the local culture, 菜, 博物馆, and even spontaneously snuck in a Harry Styles concert.
“There was such a sense of belonging with our group,” 珍妮花 said. “I think there is a different maturity for graduate students, the energy isn’t so much about being in another country, 而是一起学习. It was just a great experience.”
The program is the brainchild of Dr. 丽莎Boehm, dean of graduate studies, and Assistant Director of 研究生学习 Dr. 盟友McVickar.
“We’ve been brainstorming unique ways to build community with graduate students who have very busy schedules and spend limited time on campus,麦克维克说. “Last fall we reached out to 出国留学 and found out that an all-graduate student course hadn’t been done before, 我们必须尝试.”
在创建程序时, Boehm说, they wanted the students to develop connections around the world, 全球知识, 以及跨文化技能.
“All three are crucially important in today’s world,” she said. “Often students from less affluent backgrounds cannot compete with this type of global fluency on the job market when they go up against graduates who may have had the resources to support ample international travel opportunities.”
What they also found in creating the course is BSU graduate students are hungry for study abroad opportunities. After sending out a student survey to gauge the interest level, more than 100 responses arrived within the first 48 hours.
启发, Boehm and McVickar worked with staffers from the Minnock Institute, 出国留学, the Educational 领导 Department and others to pull it all together.
Once the program became available for applications the response was overwhelmingly positive, 如此如此, 必须创建一个等待名单.
“We weren’t sure how many students were going to sign up, but I think it shows there is a desire for graduate study abroad opportunities,” said graduate studies Associate Director Katie-Ann梅森, who accompanied the group on the trip as a chaperone. “It was a hugely successful, engaging trip. Not just from an academic standpoint, but culturally as well. Some students have even shared it was life-changing, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
珍妮花 would agree, the trip was indeed impactful.
“This experience has truly inspired me to not be afraid to try new things,” she said. “I hope BSU is able to offer more opportunities like this in the future.”
Boehm认为, the goal is to create similar programs that cover a variety of topics and appeal to a wide range of students.
“We plan to offer this opportunity, or one like it, every other year. We hope that students can plan for adding this experience to their curriculum,” she said.
Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? 电子邮件 stories@gouula.com
