Aryiah Adams
Major: Communication Studies
Minor: Theatre Arts
About the Study Abroad Experience: "I studied abroad during Fall 19' of my senior year at Kingston University in London, England. While overseas I enrolled in three courses that counted towards both my Communication major and Theatre minor. It was amazing to experience the different teaching styles, curriculum, and the amount of freedom offered to students at Kingston University. I participated in various community service projects that allowed me to network with many successful people overseas, share advice from the perspective of an outside resident and effectively remain involved and enhance my time management skills."
Miranda Cooper
Major: English
Minor: Theatre Arts
About the Experience: "Throughout the five week training program we attended over 10 New York Stage and Film performances in addition to a Q&A session each Saturday with various cast and creative team members from the productions. This multitudinous exposure led me to create connections with artists from multiple disciplines from around the country. This allowed me to further explore my interests in acting, directing, and artistic directing, opening opportunities for the future. I was able to build strong relationships with our class instructor, directors, and fellow Acting Company members. By having this larger network of contacts, with people at various stages in their career, I feel more confident in my ability to reach my career goals and have an easier transition into the 'real world' post graduation."
Angeline Gomez
Majors: International Relations & Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Minor: Communication
About Study Abroad Experience: "Experiences worthwhile, experiences needed in order to understand another way of life, are not common occurrences individuals have throughout their college career. Being able to go through these experiences more than once is also a privilege that many individuals don't reach until after college. The Experiential Scholarship has given me the opportunity to study abroad in a hemisphere that has always felt so close on paper, yet so far financially. I was lucky enough to be awarded this scholarship to spend one month in the country of Brazil, learning and advancing my knowledge of the Portuguese language while also living with a local family in the city of Rio de Janeiro. This experience gave me the courage I needed to step out of my comfort zone, learn about a country in a region of my interest, and meet several people from around the world that taught me the essentials of living and learning to my fullest extent.
Rachel Obergh
Major: Early Childhood & Childhood Education (English)
About Study Abroad Experience: "Seeing the world around us by traveling creates an appreciation for the diversity of our beautiful planet. Traveling to Greece made me realize how big the world is and how much I can learn from coming outside of my comfort zone. It is a place of diverse history, a welcoming culture and history at every turn. Having the opportunity to meet local business owners, talk to local researchers and even eat food in a locals home I was able to be part of a culture entirely different from my own. Experiences like this are what inspire me to learn more about the world I am coming from. This experience led me to appreciate how diverse the world is and how much you can gain from experiencing this."
Brenna O'Brien
Major: Biology (Cellular/Molecular)
Minor: Mathematics
About Study Abroad Experience: "Over the summer of 2019, I was given the gift of many firsts. I experienced my first plane ride, my first journey out of the country, and my first encounter with new friends. In late May, a group of three SUNY New Paltz students and Professor Glenn Geher and I traveled to the opposite side of world in China. We were welcomed to the beautiful, mountainous city of Chongqing, China, where Professor Geher taught a course on Evolution and the Human Condition. The study of human diversity, as well as universality through the eyes of evolutionary psychology, were perfectly complimented by our international classroom. My unique and exciting experience studying and traveling through Chongqing and Chengdu, China has opened my mind to new ideas and my heart to the thrills of travel."
Elizabeth O'Toole
Major: English
About Study Abroad Experience: "I spent last semester (Fall 2019) in Cardiff Wales studying English at Cardiff University. It was so amazing. It has always been a dream of mine to live in Europe and this was the perfect opportunity for me. Not only did I learn about British and Welsh culture, but about student culture."
Marie Pesch
Major: Political Science
About Study Abroad Experience: "Greece is a beautiful country with a rich history and a unique culture. Studying abroad there I was able to experience all of this first hand and really develop an understanding of the way of life in Greece and how their traditions have impacted my own life. The people are very proud of their history with Greek Mythology and all of the inventions and concepts that were created in their country. As a Political Science major, the one I found the most interesting was the creating of the world's first democracy. I got to stand in the very spot where the first elections were held. That experience is something I will never forget."
Alina Schroeder
Majors: Communication Disorders & French
About Internship Experience: "My origins as a Russian-English bilingual speaker seem to explain my passion for language acquisition and various language disorders. My love for the French language was quite spontaneous and drove me to declare a double major in Communication Disorders and French. The possibility of working in the field of developmental language in French never crossed my mind until the opportunity arose. The culmination of both these majors into such an invigorating hands on internship has been invaluable and has taught me concepts that I would not have associated with the pracitice of Speech-Language Pathology."
Cory Sierra
Majors: Theatre Arts (Performance) & Sociology (Human Services)
About Study Abroad Experience: "Being able to study social welfare in South Africa grants me the opportunity to experience working with vulnerable populations first hand and enhance my knowledge in my future career. Overall, during this course I have heard many stories, gained many memories, and made many connections. Traveling abroad and seeing the work firsthand allows for a student to grasp the knowledge in a way that being taught in a classroom does not allow them to do. What I have learned cannot be untaught and now I am able to put it to use in my career path. I am able to share what I have learned with others and use it to the advantage of our society to create a better tomorrow. For it is South Africa that has taught me that we are all fighting the same battle despite being on different battlefields."
Carly Walsh
Majors: Music (Jazz Performance) & Digital Media Management
About Study Abroad Experience: "During the Fall 2019 semester, my studies brought me to the Freie Universitat in Berlin, Germany. As a Music major, this semester was academically challenging because I am more accustomed to playing piano scales than writing research papers. However, I learned so much in my classes and was able to participate in conversations that I have never had before. This trip taught me so much about Germany, Europe, the United States, and myself."
Kelly Zhang
Majors: Music (Classical Performance) & Digital Media Management
About Internship Experience: "Over the Summer and Fall semester I interned at our school Music department. They were working on creating a Burmese concert and documentary of the process of learning Burmese music. I worked as a Production Assistant, Manager, and Public Relations. It was a very intense but rewarding experience. Overall, I learned a lot from this internship, and it helped me understand what a job of a project manager is like. After I graduate, I want to find a job at a music center and manage events, concerts, and performances. I like to help produce and develop live performances. This internship helped me understand what I want to do in the future."
