Welcome to our Past Student Experiences page! Here, you’ll discover the remarkable journeys of our students who have participated in our summer and semester abroad programs. These stories showcase the transformative power of studying in a new country, experiencing different cultures, and gaining unique academic insights.
Our students have traveled to diverse destinations around the globe, each bringing back a wealth of experiences and personal growth. From mastering new languages and exploring historic landmarks to building international friendships and enhancing their academic careers, their adventures highlight the myriad benefits of studying abroad.
As you read through these testimonials, you’ll get a sense of the excitement, challenges, and rewards that come with stepping outside one’s comfort zone and embracing the world as a classroom. We hope these experiences inspire you to consider your own journey abroad and take the first step towards an unforgettable educational adventure.
Stay tuned to learn more about how our programs can help you grow academically, personally, and professionally through the eyes of those who have walked this path before you.
Exploring Education and Culture in Italy during Spring Break
This study abroad brought us to Verona to learn about education in Italy. Of course, we can not fully generalize and make sweeping conclusions, but we can reflect on the situation at hand and learn from it. We walked through beautiful, winding, magnificently traditional streets and went from school to school, which gave us such a flavor of Verona and themagnificence of the land around it.
I had such a beautiful experience thinking about the wonderful environment, love, care, and warmth. I was already in love with both the Montessori and the Reggio Emilia approaches to learning. I was delighted to be in the area of their birthplace. Having taught first-grade students for nearly fifteen years, I see how caring is primary to learning and the natural development of these young humans. What we were shown was so exemplary because of the discussion of the philosophy and actually seeing how it was applied. It taught me about patience and love in education and the human experience. Tied into that, you can see the warmth of the Italian culture and the importance of the garden and tending to the child hands-on.
It was so impressive how this all is part of public education. Our hosts were lovely and showed their deep care about what they were doing and how important they believed this education was as a positive step for the individual and society. They were also the first to say that running it was not perfect. However, they volunteered their time to teach us and show us all. I will forever be indebted to them.