Anya Ivanova
In Motion Staff Writer
Don’t know what to do this summer? Daytona State College has some options for your vacation with its Study Abroad program that offers something new every year.
The program has been around for almost 20 years and according to John Brady, gets better every year. Brady, Assistant Director of Professional Development and Global Education, has overseen the program for four years and strongly believes that Study Abroad is important to student development.
“Students that study abroad have a better likelihood of being successful in college, meaning that they stay in college, they have a passing GPA and they complete their programs,” said Brady.
He also mentions that there are a lot of studies to prove that after students come home from Study Abroad, their GPA usually increases. For example, the state of Georgia studied 35 of its universities and students who participated in Study Abroad programs. The results showed not only that GPAs rise, but students’ academic performance, graduation rates and knowledge of cultural practices and context also increase.
Study Abroad programs not only boost students’ performance in college, but they open more opportunities for them in life as well. Brady explains, “A lot of employers are looking for skill sets in their workers that are required from Study Abroad participants, like flexibility, critical thinking, the ability to function in unfamiliar environments and the ability to communicate and work with people from different backgrounds.”
“This is a global market place we are in and being very American-centric doesn’t really work anymore,” said Brady.
Last spring, the College sent a group of 10 students to Italy, where they visited Venice, Florence, San Gimiano and Arezzo. Samantha Stern, theater professor, was the creator and chaperone for the trip. The trip lasted 10 days and cost $2,800 per student. The participants were fascinated by the magic of the country.
Sash Lucas, one of the students who went on the trip, recalls, “Italy was amazing, it is so beautiful there. People walk or ride bikes around the villages. Businesses and homes seem to have a lot of plants and greenery. I want to go back!”
She believes that she learned a lot from the trip. “Even though it was expensive, it was well worth it,” said Lucas, adding that the cities of Venice and Florence made the most impression on her. “Venice was wonderful. Everything is built on the water. Everyone walks on the island. There are no cars or bikes. But Florence was my favorite place because of the history and beautiful art. My favorite part of the trip was walking around Florence by myself and walking through the museums.”
She admits that if she had a chance, she would definitely go again and she recommends Study Abroad programs to everyone who is able to go.
This summer, Study Abroad programs will take faculty and students to Spain and Haiti. The Haiti program is offered by the College of Education and it gives students an opportunity to teach children from Haiti the English language. The trip costs approximately $1,280. The price doesn’t include tuition and other fees, such as the cost of obtaining a passport and other personal expenses. Students will be visiting the College of Susan Schuenke, located in Cap Haitien, for a week. The college provides education to almost a thousand Haitian kids living in poverty. Before the trip, students will be meeting to design the lessons they will be providing. The meetings will include lectures and will start two weeks prior to the trip.
“The cool thing about this program is that it will be offered year after year. The group that travels to Haiti this summer will perform a needs assessment and then these documents will be used by students who go after them,” Brady said.
The trip is being organized by Dr. Donald May, Associate Professor in the College of Education. While teaching children English, participants will be able to learn basic Haitian Creole greetings, culture and history. To be accepted into this program, students need to have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, have a recommendation from a teacher, have a valid passport and doctor’s clearance. The deadline for applying for this trip is the beginning of March. Students will earn college credits for participating.
The trip to Spain has more of a tourist approach and is led by Professor Ted Wygant. The trip lasts 10 days and will take students to visit Madrid, Toledo and Cuenca. Both Toledo and Cuenca are parts of UNESCO World Heritage list. Students will be able to explore modern and historical art and architecture when visiting many museums, castles and cathedrals. The cost of the trip is approximately $2,200. The Global Education department is trying to make trips to Spain one of its annual offerings.
“The goal of this office is to get programs created that are offered on an ongoing basis. It is good for the programs themselves because they grow, our contacts from the place grow and familiarity with the place grows. The programs become richer,” said Brady.
Group sizes are usually from 8-20 people. Each trip is counted as a class and gives you from one to three credit hours.
More information on prices and general content of the trips can be found on the Daytona State College website under Study Abroad tab – daytonastate.edu/studyabroad.