Australia
Recent WLU global experiences include Australia, China, Costa Rica, France, Iceland and the United Kingdom.
“We encourage our students to take advantage of study abroad. The benefits last a lifetime,” said Burke.
Alexis Dorris traveled to Australia for her study abroad through the CAPA International Education. A dental hygiene major, she is from
Shadyside, Ohio.
“My dad suggested I study abroad because he feels it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Since I always found Sydney, Australia intriguing, I picked it as the location for me,” Dorris explained.
She was “Down Under” for seven weeks during the Australian winter and earned six college credits for her effort.
Junior Allyson Ashworth, Hamlin, W.Va., traveled to Beijing, China as one of 120 volunteers to teach English to Chinese students in rural China, this past July. Junior Rachel Wurster, Berkley Springs, W. Va., joined her.
The girls landed in Beijing and spent a few days there before traveling to their rural destination by train. They were part of the Summer Service and Learning Program, headquartered in Beijing.
They were thrilled to see the famous sites of the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the beautiful Summer Palace.
After the Beijing experience, it was a long four day train ride, to get to their rural home in Liupanshui, in the western part of Guizhou Province, with a population of 2.86 million and a subtropical monsoon climate.
But the girls earned three college credits for their work. “I’m glad I went. It was an affordable program and we are grateful that we had the chance to participate,” said Wurster.
A student biology trip offered a close look at biodiversity in the Republic of Costa Rica.
“This was the first international trip for the natural sciences and mathematics department. Students were very pleased and learned so much. We hope to do it again in the next year or two,” said Assistant Professor Heather Kalb, one of three professors who accompanied the students.
Assistant Professor of Nursing Marie Du Toit and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Theunis van Aardt also joined Wendi Wentzell-Cuc, Mackenzie Davis, Zachary Dillard, Krista Emch, Kristen Fijalkowski, Lori Henry, Jillian Laslo, Nicki Mihalik, Kelsey Robertson, Taylor Rogerson, Katie Scott, Makayla Smith and Audrey Sykes in the Central American country known for its lush jungles and rare wildlife.
Paris and the surrounding region, provided yet another learning experience for graphic design student Rosalie Haizlett who found studying, volunteering and art while spending several months traveling through France.
Looking for a summer job was how the opportunity arose for Haizlett, who ended up staying with a friend of a friend in Vendome, France and painting a mural at her host family’s church.
The daughter of associate professor of graphic and digital media design Jim Haizlett, Rosalie believes the trip made her more independent and capable.
“If you have any desire to travel at all, you should do it. It is incredible how much you learn in just a few months,” she said.
For another group of students, it was a trip to the breathtaking landscape of Iceland that broadened their minds. Nine students joined Geography Professor Aron Massey out of Pittsburgh International Airport on July 17, arriving in the capitol of Reykjavik City about six hours later.
WLU students who explored Iceland included Daniel Doyle, Paul Henry, Scott Kaiser, Laken Lambert, Jordan Miller, Aaron Schneid, Caroline Schooler, Cody Stepanek and David Tucker Wilkinson.
“I learned about the music and culture of Iceland while taking a WLU geography class, so when I got this opportunity to experience Iceland in person, I couldn’t pass it up,” said Henry, who is a senior with career sights set on urban planning.
Finally, for two weeks in May, nine students experienced a once-in-lifetime chance to study in the UK as Professor Peter Staffel, director of the Honors College program, introduced them to London and Edinburgh: Alexis Brum, Caitlyn Burt, Victoria Humphrey, Nichole Jackson, Steven Maragos, Hannah Mason, McKensie Mason, Erica Sapp and Karla Yurko.
“Traveling abroad helps us understand ourselves, our country and other countries and peoples better, often MUCH better,” he said. More Honor College study abroad trips will be offered in the future.
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