Glaciers, Waterfalls, and Basalts, Oh My!

Shelby Hurst Major: Geochemistry PhD Candidate WMU Geology Club in Iceland, Summer I, 2018 Day 1: Reykjavik and adjustment Visiting a new country is always challenging. Throw in 14 other people, wind and rain, strange addresses, and language barriers into the mix and it gets even harder. Thankfully, I had lots of support upon arrival…

Takes A Lot Of Courage

Megan Potyczka Speech Pathology and Audiology Major Global Perspective on Pediatric Rehabilitation in Dominican Republic (Faculty-led) , Spring 2017 Studying abroad was always something I wanted to do. It didn’t really matter where I went, I just wanted to travel and learn about something related to my field of study, speech-language pathology. When I found out…

Experiencing What New Cultures Have To Offer

Matt Faremouth Integrated Supply Management Major German Business and Culture, Summer I 2017 Studying abroad helped me grow tremendously personally, academically and professionally. I have never been to Europe before, so going there for an extended period of time was a challenge. Going out of my comfort zone and deciding to go on the trip…

The Best Year of My Life

Michelle Moore Japanese and Global and International Studies Majors Ritsumeikan University, 2015-16 Academic Year During the 2015-2016 academic school year I studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan at Ritsumeikan University. In contrast to a normal study abroad experience I personally never felt any sort of culture shock or down period during my trip. I even planned…

A Truly Remarkable Experience

Frederick Keeslar History Major Chinese Language and Culture (Faculty-Led), Summer II 2017 Last summer, I studied abroad for two weeks in Beijing, China. The emphasis of the class was on Chinese language and culture. We had classes in the morning and later in the day we would visit a culturally significant site. As a historian…

Experience A New Way Of Life

Brenda Martinez Global & International Studies Major Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), Fall 2017 I traveled to China to study abroad in Beijing, one of the largest cities in the world for a semester all by myself. My study abroad experience had to be one of the hardest challenges I have faced in my…

The Best Decision I Ever Made

Bridget Hendrick Music Therapy Major Lyon Summer Program, Summer II 2017   Studying abroad in Lyon, France, was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was challenging and scary, but also exciting and helped me to grow in many ways. I learned a lot, so much in fact, that my head hurt some…

The Places Shape the People

Hanna Fussman Tourism and Travel Major Bonn University, Spring 2018 There’s something about the world that I truly love. I don’t quite know how to pinpoint it, but I think it’s the places. The places shape the people. It shapes the culture, the languages and dialects, the politics, living conditions, everything. And each place is…

Just The Beginning

Savanna Everett Food and Consumer Packaged Goods Major Business and Culture in Thailand, Summer I, 2017. Thailand is a country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, known for being the Land of Smiles and home to exotic beaches, amazing food and wonderful people. It is also home to unique merchandising and business environment….

A Thrilling Experience

Kelsey Gough Speech Pathology and Audiology Major Cultural Connections in Senegal: Causes of Globalization and Consequences on Systems, Summer I 2016 I am thrilled to be sharing my study abroad experience to future WMU Broncos! I am a senior in the speech pathology and audiology program here at WMU. I transferred here beginning fall 2015…

New Experiences And Challenges In Spain

Sarah Basar Education Major Universidad de Cantabria Undergraduate Program (Faculty-Led), Summer II, 2017 Studying abroad in Spain helped me to better understand how non-American people view Americans. I found that, in Spain, there are some common stereotypes about Americans—they think we are very loud and wild when we drink, for example, and also that everyone…

Adapting To New Languages And Cultures

Evelyn Canny Geography Major Bonn University, Spring 2017 My study abroad experience at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany had many effects on my view of the world and exposure to different cultures. This program has provided me with opportunities for personal and professional growth through the experiences I have had while abroad. Among…