SFHC’s Pillars of Education: Study Abroad
With today's geopolitical realities, it is important that students learn about other cultures and the differences among societies. While our Honors curriculum provide this insight, Smittcamp Scholars are encouraged to pursue a larger variety of study abroad opportunities through the university. Study abroad, and “broadening” their cultural knowledge, is considered one of the three core pillars of an Honors education, alongside community service and scholarship.
This past summer, Cassie Carr — a fourth year majoring in Recreation Administration — participated in an 11.5 week study abroad program in Alicante, Spain. Cassie chose this opportunity because of her interest in learning about other countries. She also stated, “Who doesn't want to live on the Mediterranean coast for 2.5 months during the summer?” — Good point!
During this program, Cassie spent most of her weekdays in Spanish language courses or exploring the city of Alicante. On weekends, she traveled to other cities in Spain, and even a few other countries. In total, she visited six countries throughout Europe! The highlight of her trip was all the different types of new food she got to try.
“[Food] was a large motivation to study abroad for me, as I grew up eating my way through all of my travels,” she said. “It is such a good way to learn about different cultures because food can say so many things.”
On top of Spanish courses, traveling, and trying new food, Cassie got to work as a digital documenter for the program she went with. It not only helped pay for her trip but also allowed her to apply some things that she had learned in her Recreation Administration classes.
Cassie highly recommends studying abroad to anyone willing to learn more about themselves and the world: “You will learn to be independent, you'll gain a new perspective on your life back home, you'll learn to interact with others in a variety of settings, and you might work on a new language, but most of all it can, if you let it, change you as an individual in all kinds of ways.”
To explore study abroad opportunities offered through Fresno State, visit the Study Abroad Portal.