Preparing for what’s next with study abroad

Erika Arias ‘19 could be a poster child for UW Study Abroad. During her time as a Husky, this Chelan, Washington native participated in six – count them! – overseas experiences across Asia, Europe and Africa.

Along the way, Erika’s confidence grew and she developed a deep interest in comparative politics, international relations and conflict resolution. And she is taking those passions to the next level by pursuing a PhD in political science.

Start with support

Faculty-led study abroad programs helped Erika grow as a student and find her place at the UW. Her first trip was a pre-freshman seminar in Spain with lots of extra support Erika and her fellow travelers. “We were always in groups,” she remembers, “and we had name tags.”

The next summer, she was off for Tokyo, where she partnered with UW and Waseda University students on a mini-research project on Japanese hip hop. By her senior year, she had created so many connections through study abroad that bumped into a fellow study abroad student pretty much daily on her way to class.

Sparking passion

Study abroad also sparked Erika’s interest in international development and guided her towards a double major in Law, Societies & Justice and International Studies. “It started with my program in north Africa and Southern Spain, where our classes were all in Spanish and we were focused on migration and international policy,” she shares.

Immersive exploration of places and themes with the support of world class faculty allowed Erika to see her academic interests from many perspectives. “Each study abroad program was completely different,” Erika says, and each one offered new insight into her course of study.

Striking out on her own

“I developed a track record through study abroad… it shows I can be successful working and living outside the U.S.” Through study abroad, Erika’s confidence grew along with her knowledge and skills. On her university exchange program in France, “I didn’t know anyone, and I had to speak French to connect with people,” she remembers.

Erika is now embarking on another exciting adventure – pursuing a PhD in political science at Syracuse University. “I will have to do dissertation research outside the country,” she says. “My experience as a Husky shows that I’m knowledgeable and ready.” Study abroad prepared her for what’s next.

Global Opportunities Fund: Help us offer transformative study abroad experiences to more UW students like Erika. Give now

Indigenous journeys: Study abroad program explores the Northwest by canoe

The American Indian studies department has created a new study abroad program titled “Tribal Canoe Journey Field Study”, which will give students the opportunity to observe and participate in the annual canoe journeys undertaken by upwards of 6,000 various indigenous peoples of the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) and beyond each year.

Study abroad sparks hard conversations about race and equity

For two days in late August, more than a million people inundate West London to celebrate one of the world’s largest street festivals—the Notting Hill Carnival.

Elaborate floats and colorful-costumed performers wind their way through streets to the sound of steel bands and calypso music. It’s a tribute to the traditional Afro-Caribbean carnivals of the early 19^th century that celebrated the abolition of slavery.

What stood out most for UW School of Public Health student Eric King wasn’t the vibrant sounds or endless sea of people, but rather the sight of British police officers embracing and dancing with carnival-goers.

“I didn’t notice any law officials with firearms. This was different from my experience as an African-American man living in the United States,” says King, then a public health major and now a graduate student in the School’s Department of Health Services. “It speaks to the prominence of gun culture in the U.S. as well as the climate created when law officers are viewed as members of the community instead of controlling outsiders.”

King (BS, Public Health ’16) was attending a four-week exploration seminar called Dark Empire: Race, Health and Society in Britain, which examines the presence and well-being of minorities in Britain, who now make up 14 percent of the country’s 64 million residents. Students explore the social, emotional and physical determinants of health within the framework of Britain’s history and multiculturalism.

UW students head to Nepal for hands-on learning

This summer, 10 UW students will participate in a new Exploration Seminar course in Nepal. Organized by the Nepal Studies Initiative (NSI), the seminar is one of the few formal programs in the U.S. focused on Nepal.

Re-thinking safari tourism

UW Bothell professors Ben Gardner and Ron Krabill will lead an exploration seminar called “Critical perspectives on ecotourism in Tanzania” to examine many of the issues raised in Gardner’s newly-released book “Selling the Serengeti: The Cultural Politics of Safari Tourism” and ongoing research in the area. The seminar is funded by a Global Innovation Fund grant.

UW students and leaders connect with Ambassador Kennedy in Japan

Dr. Peter Moran, Director of UW International Programs & Exchanges, visited Tokyo to serve on an expert panel and connect with University of Washington and Waseda University students at an event celebrating the exchange of students between the United States and Japan. At the panel discussion, Dr. Moran discussed the UW’s long history of student mobility to and from Japan and the UW’s special relationship with Waseda University. The UW is a worldwide leader in student exchange with Japan.

Dr. Moran, Delaney Lake, Ambassador Kennedy and Yuki Shimiya

Dr. Moran connects with UW and Waseda students in Tokyo — Connecting with students in Tokyo

Ambassador Kennedy hosted a reception at her official residence after the event. UW student Delaney Lake, currently studying at Waseda University, and Waseda student Yuki Shimiya, who spent last year at the UW, joined Dr. Moran at the reception. Both students are part of the Waseda Global Leadership Program.

The Waseda Global Leadership Program is one example of the transformational student exchange experiences the UW offers. UW students in the program engage with a small cohort of Waseda exchange students spending the academic year at the UW. The following year, they study abroad at Waseda University.

The program engages students through academic reflection, experiential learning, and community service. Central to the impact and success of the program at the UW are strong campus partnerships. International Programs & Exchanges, UW Honors, and the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center support the students in creating a learning community focused on leadership and service.

Study Abroad fair connects students to a world of opportunities

Hosted for the first time in the renovated UW Husky Union Building, the Study Abroad Fair buzzed with students driven to discover new experiences Thursday, Oct. 23. Nearly 100 exhibitors, including representatives from UW departments, partner universities and affiliated providers such as Peace Corps, were on hand to answer questions and showcase leading-edge student experiences.

The UW Study Abroad Office offers four types of programs for students: direct exchanges with foreign institutions, thematic programs led by UW faculty, affiliated programs through other universities and IE3 global internships. Chris Rumer, a biochemistry senior, manned the table for University College London, which offers a direct exchange program for UW students. One of the most popular and competitive exchange programs, Rumer said his table had been busy all morning.

“[UCL offers] one of the best programs with the education and cultural diversity of London,” he said. Rumer had been close to attending UCL for his undergraduate degree, but coming to UW and traveling to UCL on exchange encompassed the best of both worlds. Fellow exchange students Victoria Dmyterko and Nikolina Stoykova, biology and international studies seniors, raved about experience, the educational opportunities offered and the friendships made. “I loved it,” said Dmyterko.

Funding options for travel and study were also advertised at the fair. Robyn Davis, Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship coordinator, was happy to engage with new students. The FLAS, which offers funding for language learning, has historically attracted primarily graduate student applicants. “[The Study Abroad Fair] is a good opportunity to get the word out to undergraduates,” Davis said. Many of the study abroad experiences that work with FLAS funding were also at the fair, making it easier to directly refer students to other programs.

Nala Watters, a humanities sophomore, was surprised by the number of program and funding opportunities made available. “There are a lot of options,” Watters said. “[Students] will find something and the money to do it.” Though Watter’s area of interest is quite narrow — folklore and myths — she said she found some programs that could be tailored to fit her passions. “It’s an experience that pretty much everybody needs,” she said.

With program options spanning Argentina to Zurich, the choices and experiences for UW Study Abroad students are boundless. Visit UW Study Abroad to learn more!

UW Tacoma launches Institute for Global Engagement

UW Tacoma will launch the Institute for Global Engagement October 3rd. The new campus center, grown from the Global Honors program, will increase student access to Global Honors coursework, foster increased campus engagement with the Tacoma community and create additional undergraduate research opportunities. The institute’s first initiatives will include study abroad presentations during International Education Week in November and a lecture series.

Study abroad programs, scholarships shaped grad’s Husky Experience

English literature major Shangé Purnell was chosen for the honor of carrying the Arts & Sciences college banner at this weekend’s graduation. Study abroad played an important part her Husky Experience and helped develop her exciting future goals.

GO! and Fritz Scholar Shangé Purnell Photo: University of Washington

Shangé plans to earn a doctorate in English literature and teach at the college level. Through this work, she wants to help increase diversity in published literary works. She says, “the highbrow elite have set what is highbrow literature – Shakespeare and other mostly white European authors. We’re starting to get more diversity, but it’s still very narrow, it’s still a Eurocentric perspective. I realize that being a U.S. citizen I have been conditioned to have a Eurocentric view, but I’d like to give view to the people of color in this world.”

Beyond serving as an officer in the Black Student Union and as a member of the Students for Diversity Coalition, Shangé also sought new perspectives and leadership experience through international learning. Her experiences studying abroad in the United Kingdom and Ghana with UW faculty-led programs were important in developing her goals and provided new insight into diversity issues. Particularly while in Ghana, where she tutored school-aged children, Shangé tried to see world through fresh eyes. “We tried to look at it from not just a Western perspective,” she says.

Scholarships from UW Global Opportunities supported Shangé’s study abroad experiences. She received the GO! Scholarship for her trip to the United Kingdom, and the Fritz Scholarship for the next summer’s program in Ghana.

Student researchers present at UW Tacoma Global Honors Colloquium

Presenting at last week’s Global Honors Spring Colloquium, Noelle Gichohi started by thanking her mentors and supporters. “I stood in front of the audience and said, ‘I grew up in a village in Kenya, and it took a village to get me here’”. Her ‘colloquium village’ included UW Tacoma professors and librarians, a Highline Community College professor, fellow students and family.

Graduating seniors at the Global Honors Colloquium Photo: Cody Char UW Tacoma Creative Services

For Noelle and 12 other graduating seniors in UW Tacoma’s Global Honors program, the colloquium was a chance to share and reflect on their capstone research projects. They will now apply their learning as community leaders heading toward jobs and graduate school.

The students presented before audiences of 40 to 60 faculty, staff, community members and fellow students. Diverse in terms of discipline and geography, their projects exemplify UW Tacoma’s emphasis on student-led, use-inspired research.

Inspired by her work with State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Williams during a Legislative Internship, Kristie Weisert’s thesis examines sex trafficking in the U.S. and India. Human trafficking is a pressing issue locally and internationally, and Kristie pointed out Washington state’s efforts to address the problem through new legislation.

Brandon Napenias Oreiro’s research project explores the development of Filipino American identity in the context of a globalized culture. A leader in UW Tacoma’s Filipino American Student Association, Brandon paired his research findings with examples of the group’s efforts to create a sense of identity and community on campus and in the region.

Noelle Gigochi — Noelle Gichohi Photo: UW Tacoma

Noelle Gichohi’s research project was inspired by her study abroad to Italy. “We were studying preschools, and I saw that [Italian schools] had kitchens right next to the classrooms and served the kids three-course meals on real plates. It was totally different from the U.S., where my kids went to preschool, and Kenya, where I grew up.”

She began thinking about how place influences the food children are served at school, and how parents’ perceive the healthfulness of school meals. For her thesis, Noelle surveyed Kenyan and U.S. parents about their children’s school meals, and their perceptions of the meals.

“Carrying out a research project and presenting at the colloquium “was enriching for me personally and as a scholar,” Noelle reflects. The experience gave her new confidence about her ideas and ability to communicate. “I won’t be afraid to stand up and give my opinion in the workplace,” she says, “I’ll think, ‘I’ve done Global Honors, I can do anything.’”

During his remarks at the colloquium, UW Tacoma Chancellor Kenyon Chan underscored the local relevance of the students’ research and the urgency of the issues addressed. Echoing Noelle Gichohi’s recognition of her village, Chancellor Chan also emphasized the students’ important roles as leaders – locally and globally.

-Sara Stubbs