Samantha Beck/ Winonan
A continuous rush of students in the Student Activity Center announced the beginning of the travel abroad fair last Tuesday.
Students who have ventured past the U.S. borders, professors who would like to take a class overseas and other travel abroad program consultants discussed options ranging from three-week travel study programs to semester and yearlong travel abroad programs.
Dana Engel, the international programs assistant, said “the fair itself has a good success rate,” which is attributed to the increased interest college students are showing toward traveling abroad.
“Our most popular program is Granada, Spain,” Engel said.
Winona State partners with the SOL Education Abroad program to give students opportunities to practice their language skills in another country, even if they are not fluent in a second language.
“You don’t have to know the language by any means,” Engel said.
Winona State student Nikki Nelson went to Soonchunhyang University in South Korea when she was a junior. Soonchunhyang University is located in the countryside of Korea and an hour away from Seoul.
“I didn’t know any Korean, but now I can hold simple conversations and get around Korea if I need to,” Nelson said.
Nelson pointed out the many advantages to studying abroad, which include experiencing the culture, food and breathtaking landscapes.
“I would go back in a heartbeat,” Nelson said.
Many would point out the cost of traveling abroad could burn a hole in anyone’s wallet. For Nelson, Soonchunhyang University had a flight stipend and employs international students with jobs and internships on campus.
“Housing was free too,” Nelson said.
Another advantage mentioned was that traveling abroad gives students the chance to build their resumes.
“In a global market and economy, it is important to stand out, “ Engel said. “One way is to travel abroad.”
Traveling abroad means one can adapt and understand other cultures and can pick up a second language.
Not only does it help in the workplace, but traveling benefits the student on a personal level as well, Engel said.
“It increases marketability, and also the student’s self-confidence,” Engel said. “They are comfortable and outgoing.”
Students who place themselves in a different culture learn management skills, and, by participating in the culture, they can eventually thrive in that environment, according to Engel.
A few professors were attending the fair to promote their own classroom trips.
Some opportunities to study abroad in the future include an English travel study to England for three weeks this summer and the education department spring break Jamaican travel study.
