Trinity University’s Study Abroad Fair was filled with the energy of several hundred students and program providers from all over the nation and beyond. Along with free stickers and pens, students left the fair with information about study abroad opportunities.
Monday, Sept. 16, students flocked to the Fiesta Room to discover what study abroad might do for them. This year’s Study Abroad Fair showcased 17 off-campus program providers and 14 on-campus programs, including summer programs like Trinity in Vietnam, beyond-the-classroom (BTC) courses like Trinity in Ireland and one fall semester program, Trinity in Spain.
Maddy Supan, sophomore communication major, attended the fair this year, looking for potential options to study abroad. She said that although the fair could be overwhelming, it was easy to navigate and she got to talk to people who could give her more information about where to go.
“I am just really excited to explore new places and meet new people who I would never have met otherwise,” Supan said. “I think that is a really exciting prospect. Making cool friends, networking for cool connections in the future, potentially looking at internships and stuff that is just really exciting.”
The study abroad program at Trinity continues to grow. Andre Martinez, Trinity’s assistant director for Study Abroad, said that Trinity is now hiring a new study abroad advisor and coordinator who will help expand the overall reach of the program.
“I do a lot with the Trinity faculty-led programs, and I love it, but it’s so much work. That’s why we are hiring now for a study abroad advisor and coordinator,” Martinez said. “It’s really exciting because this person will be handling Trinity’s programs, so I can focus on the bigger picture items, [like] working more closely with our faculty, program proposals, creating new opportunities for students, working on exchanges and looking at ways to reduce costs for students.”
Among the 40 student volunteers at the Study Abroad Fair, Jillian Wold, senior sociology major, participated in the School for International Training (SIT) program. Through this program, she studied culture, social change and development in Vietnam. Wold said that SIT was extremely flexible with both course content and travel dates.
“A lot of the programs have tons of different [options]. Even if [the study abroad program] doesn’t match your major or minor perfectly, you can still work with staff to get credits on pathways and stuff like that,” Wold said. “I feel like some people [found this] relieving because I know it’s hard to get all your credits in.”
Trinity has a resource available for students who are unsure about which courses to take or how to fit certain credits into their time abroad. Sabrina Cortez, Trinity’s study abroad advisor for semester-long trips, advises every student to step up and ask questions about the experiences they want to have.
“Opportunities are for every student. I know that every student might have their barriers or misconceptions about what it means to study abroad,” Cortez said. “My advice would just be to come and ask questions. There’s no commitment that needs to be [made] whenever you come and just inquire.”
Study abroad alumni like Meredith Brashear, senior geoscience major, and Helen Perry, senior urban studies major, are in agreement that study abroad contributes positively to a Trinity education. Perry participated in an International Honors Program (IHP) that was focused on food systems and visited multiple countries while abroad, including Spain, Ecuador and Malawi.
“In Malawi, we were living together [as a program] and every night, we would cook together and clean together and talk about what we’ve learned that day. [We] formed really strong friendships,” Perry said.
Both Perry and Brashear discovered their respective programs by perusing the options at the annual Study Abroad Fair. Additionally, both seniors emphasized the importance of the connections made with their peers while on the trip and how strong these connections turned out to be. Brashear studied in Costa Rica with the biology department and focused on ecology, specifically small mammals. She said that she had the opportunity to immerse herself in parts of Costa Rica that normal tourists are not necessarily able to access.
“There’s so many different programs to find something that works for you. It really completes a college experience. Even if it’s not outside the U.S., it opens up your perspective of what’s available to you in the world,” Brashear said.
