Michelle H. Martin, Beverly Cleary Professor for Children and Youth Services in the Information School, has a long history with study abroad. She first studied abroad at Exeter University in the United Kingdom for her entire junior year when she was an English major at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. When she taught at Clemson University in South Carolina, she led a study abroad program in Belgium for about eight weeks. Ever since joining the University of Washington in 2016, she has been creating global learning opportunities for students by leading study abroad programs with a focus on children’s and young adult literature, youth services, and librarianship in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
In 2017, Martin and J. Elizabeth Mills (now an iSchool doctoral alum) led a group of Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students on a study abroad called Wizards, Whangdoodles and Whizzpoppers: Children’s Literature in the UK that took place in Newcastle upon Tyne, Cambridge, and London. In 2018, Martin and Teaching Faculty Annette Goldsmith led iSchool Down Under to Australia and New Zealand. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Mandi Harris, who had life-changing experiences on the 2017 and 2018 programs, returned to the iSchool for a PhD and eagerly agreed to co-direct the 2023 iSchool Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand, with 21 students. In 2024, they repeated Wizards, Whangdoodles and Whizzpoppers but this time visited Newcastle upon Tyne, Oxford and London with 17 students. For 2026, they are planning the first full-quarter (winter) version of iSchool Aotearoa. Although the iSchool runs several study abroad programs every year, this will be the iSchool’s very first quarter-long study abroad since 2014.
Designing study abroad programs
Martin and Harris bring a lot of care and intention into the planning process for their study abroad programs. They think about how to curate unique experiences with materials, authors, illustrators, libraries, museums and natural spaces for their students. They consider which sorts of opportunities can provide lightbulb moments for their students that will serve them in their capstone and portfolio projects (culminating options for the MLIS Program) and beyond. They also look for ways to underscore how people all around the world are serving as conduits for information, preserving historical legacies, and fighting to safeguard curiosity and creativity.
United Kingdom, 2017
Harris adds: "When I was a student on Doc Martin’s first study abroad program in the United Kingdom in 2017, the experience was pure magic and stardust. From making life-long friends, to experiencing the awe of the British Library, to seeing historical archives up close. It's really important to me, now being on the other side, to provide students with the same adventure and joy and curiosity and magic that I got to experience in the United Kingdom in 2017 and Australia and New Zealand in 2018."
Martin and Harris also mindfully center reciprocity and meaningfully collaborate with their international partners. A key question they consider is, “How can we be guests instead of tourists?” They are intentional about not taking an extractive and voyeuristic approach to their study abroad programs, instead prioritizing the concepts of cultural humility and reflection. They remain aware that they are not just providing international experiences, but experiences focused on relationships and connection. Martin says: “We connected with Māori librarians in Aotearoa early on in our planning process. Not just librarians, but publishers, storytellers, children’s authors and illustrators. Our intentional engagement with Māori people has made our study abroad programs incredibly deep and rich.” Some of the most impactful experiences have been participating in the mihi whakatau (pronounced “ME-he FA-ka-taw). “Starting off our programs in New Zealand with a mihi whakatau, an unofficial Māori welcome,” Martin recalls, “has in some ways been ceremonial but in some ways it’s a very intimate experience. It brings all the walls down and gives students permission to engage in a much deeper way.”
Harris adds: “During the mihi whakatau, you talk about who you are, who your people are, where you come from, your mountain, your river, your connection to the lands, and your ancestors, all of those who made you who you are. It creates a space for people to feel open and comfortable sharing. Each student has an opportunity to stand up and introduce themselves. We see the importance of each person bringing exactly who they are to the program. It’s like seeing individual strands coming together to weave a full tapestry - a tapestry that is vibrant and unique and dynamic.”
From the very beginning of their planning process. Martin and Harris build in support and empowerment for enabling their students to navigate uncertainty and stress while abroad. They have worked together to incorporate elements of The UW Resilience Lab’s Be REAL Program. Martin comments: “Be REALwas designed to help BIPOC students navigate predominantly white institutions, but I’ve found it’s good for everybody. It’s not therapy, but it has a little therapy. It’s not yoga, but it has a bit of yoga. It’s not mindfulness, but it has some of that too. We try to help students develop strategies to be resilient while they are abroad. We bring these into our pre-trip meetings as well as throughout our programs.” Martin continues: “We incorporate gratitude practices; breathing techniques, like square breathing, as well as yoga poses that can help relieve stress. These exercises encourage students to engage in different ways than they would just in a regular academic setting.” This, Martin feels, encourages everyone on the trip to understand that vulnerability is ok, and it also increases the likelihood that students will reach out if they are having a difficult time. This has the potential to create richer relationships on study abroad between faculty and students and among students than even the most positive classroom experiences.
Teaching students abroad
Leading study abroad programs requires a different approach than teaching students in the classroom. It involves wearing many hats and leveraging problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence.
“When you teach students in a classroom setting, you have one type of relationship with them,” Martin notes. “When you take them on a study abroad program, it gives you a very different perspective of what it is to teach. I have sat in hospital waiting rooms with students who had unexpected health challenges. I have helped students navigate deep emotional scars that have surfaced while abroad. Sometimes you are the mama, sometimes you are the auntie, sometimes you are the nurse, and often you are a listening ear.”
Harris also notes how study abroad can change a student’s relationship with their studies and professional aspirations. “I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. The more I lead study abroad programs, the more I reflect about the kind of professor I want to be in the future. On our program in New Zealand in 2023, I realized I could be a guide for Indigenous–and non-Indigenous–students on the program. I realized we can process our lived experiences together and that we can use those connections as a framework for creating a really supportive, inclusive environment on the program.”
A core theme of Martin and Harris’ study abroad programs is engagement with water and the land. They prioritize and seek out opportunities for their students in every country they run programs. Harris reflects: “We get out on the land and we learn from the land, and we learn from the people who are experts in the land. When we were in New Zealand in 2023, we went on a waka tour. Waka is a Māori word for canoe. It was all led by Māori people–they put us in a traditional waka and taught us songs and chants as we paddled out into the bay.” Harris recalls a bike tour in Wellington in 2017 in a driving rain that became one of the group’s most memorable experiences–complete with sunshine and a double rainbow at the end. Harris recalls: “On our 2024 program, we organized a London forest bathing outdoor education training in Kew Gardens. It was really fun to learn about how they provide outdoor education programs for children and to experience it ourselves. We also carved out time to take the students punting and to the Botanic Gardens in Oxford.” Martin also remembers the Oxford Afternoon Tea River Cruise on the Cherwell (complete with finger sandwiches and scones with clotted cream) as a highlight from the trip.
Waka Tour, New Zealand, 2023
Waka Tour, New Zealand, 2023
Waka Tour, New Zealand, 2023
Harris (who has considerable travel agent skills) and Martin also make travel itself programming whenever possible. Martin notes: “We’re always thinking about creative modes of transportation. Can we take a boat or ferry? How about a train? On our favorite journey in New Zealand, we took an eight-hour scenic train ride from Wellington to Hamilton, passing snow-capped volcanic mountains and gorgeous scenery. Part of the train was open air, which made for an unforgettable ride.”
An important part of taking students abroad is helping them to step out of their comfort zones. By navigating unfamiliar environments, students gain valuable life skills, such as resilience, confidence, and the ability to approach challenges with an open mind. Martin recalls: “One of our students on our 2023 program in New Zealand, a non-swimmer, was terrified of water and bugs. He was very nervous to explore the Waitomo Glowworm Caves because the tour involved taking a boat ride in the dark through a glowworm grotto. I sat right next to him the entire time and assured him we’d do it together. During the tour, our Māori guide talked to us about the land and their ancestors’ history with the land. This student was so proud of himself for not backing out of the experience. He later told me it was life changing.”
Oxford River Cruise, United Kingdom, 2024
Train Ride, New Zealand, 2023
Train Station, New Zealand, 2023
Read-a-Rama
Read-a-Rama is Michelle’s non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving literacy in children and young adults, using books as the springboard for literacy-rich programs like camps and storytimes, with the goal of “making the U.S. more literate, one child and one book at a time.” Read-a-Rama is currently celebrating its 15 years of service.
Martin comments: “Read-a-Rama, designed for children ages 4-11, has been my passion since I started doing these programs in 2001. I was teaching in Clemson University’s English Department, and most of my students were Education majors, but they were not getting in front of kids nearly early enough in their college career. I felt inspired to teach my students how to do an interactive read aloud and to help them learn how to ask really good, critical thinking questions, even for very young children.” Read-a-Rama gives students time with children to develop their storytime practice. Michelle has incorporated Read-a-Rama programs with local children into every study abroad that she has led at the UW.
Martin adds: “Read-a-Rama’s mantra is ‘100% engagement, 100% of the time,’ and when students host Read-a-Rama programs, they gain a new appreciation for how to keep kids engaged with fun, hands-on activities that also support literacy.”
Of the program, Harris says: “Read-a-Rama is a really beautiful way of incorporating balance and service learning into our study abroad programs. It’s such a fun way to connect with children. At Johnsonville School outside of Wellington in Aotearoa, we focused on Indigenous children’s literature. We brought Indigenous children’s literature from the U.S. so all of the books that we brought were by Native American authors. We had the MLIS students rotate so that each group of children experienced storytime with two different groups of students.” Participating in Read-a-Rama also teaches students flexibility and adaptability. During the previous four study abroad courses, Read-a-Rama programs have taken place in a variety of locations–from classrooms in public, private, and parochial schools to public libraries, gymnasiums, and community centers. Harris adds: “It’s amazing to see what relationships are built between the students and the children during the 90 minutes of a Read-a-Rama program. We know what storytime does for brain growth and for literacy for children.”
Read-a-Rama, United Kingdom, 2017
Read-a-Rama, United Kingdom, 2024
Read-a-Rama, New Zealand, 2023
Read-a-Rama, New Zealand, 2023
Read-a-Rama, New Zealand, 2023
“In Australia,” says Martin, “Read-a-Rama took place inside a school gymnasium. It was joyful chaos, and it was really fun. When we were in Melbourne, we held Read-a-Rama in the public library, where you never know who is going to walk in the door. It’s important for students to learn to be flexible and to serve everyone joyfully who walks through the door.”
The impact of study abroad
Study abroad is a transformative experience that often has unexpected ripple effects. It can have a tremendous impact on the academic, professional and personal trajectories of students. The exposure to new cultures, languages and challenges strengthens the global perspectives and interpersonal relationships of students, better equipping them to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.
Of her very first study abroad experience, Martin says: “I studied abroad at the University of Exeter in Devon in the UK. That year was such an important year for me. I learned how to study. I learned that I really like discussing literature, which turned into a life-long career pursuit. I was also able to step out of the only context I had ever known. It helped me experience who I am in different ways than how I experienced myself at home.”
Harris has seen similar impacts among her former classmates–now fellow MLIS alumni: “Several of my classmates who studied abroad with me on Doc Martin’s 2017 and 2018 programs are now international children’s librarians working at schools around the world: South Korea, Thailand, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates, to name just a few!”
Sinclair St. Claire, a student from the 2018 program, reflected, “I didn’t realize how much studying abroad would change me. Those five weeks in Australia and New Zealand, living in such close quarters, really brought us all together. Studying abroad changed me, and made me a better person.”
Some experiences that take place abroad lay the groundwork for student opportunities for years later. “For the 2018 program in New Zealand,” says Martin, “I adjusted the dates because I really wanted to incorporate the Australasian Children’s Literature Association for Research (ACLAR) Conference that was happening just before the original program dates. Students got amazing opportunities to hear academic presentations firsthand. For many of the students, it was their first time attending an academic conference. Harris and another student, Kourtni McHugh, collaboratively wrote and presented a paper with me, and another student, Erika Wigren, wrote and presented a paper with Dr. Goldsmith. Fast forward to 2024, two of the online MLIS students from the 2018 program, Catherine Jensen and T. Brandon Hall, collaborated with Mandi and me to present an academic paper at the 2024 ACLAR Conference at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, on using children’s literature and study abroad to build lifelong cultural humility. We are now shaping this into a publishable paper with all four of our voices and research.”
ACLAR Conference, New Zealand, 2024
Study abroad also enables faculty and students to develop dynamic and lasting relationships with international partners, leading to innovative collaborations and lasting connections. “One partnership is with Dr. Nicola Daly at the University of Waikato,” Martin notes,”who gave a fantastic lecture to the 2023 students on translingual picture books and how power dynamics manifest in these books. We threw a birthday party with Dr. Daly’s colleagues (complete with award-winning New Zealand children’s books), for 3 of our students who were turning 20, 40, and 50. Dr. Daly organized home stays for all of us in Hamilton, making an already amazing experience even richer. It was only for two nights, but getting to stay with a local family was a game-changer for most of the students, giving them an entirely new perspective of the country and its people. As we’re planning for our Winter 2026 study abroad program–summer in New Zealand–we are again coordinating with Dr. Daly–this time on a Children’s Literature International Summer School at the University of Waikato,” modeled after a similar summer school in Belgium at the University of Antwerp in which Martin and Daly have both taught.
Children’s book creators have also played an important role in Harris and Martin’s programs. Harris says: “We met two incredible authors in New Zealand on our 2018 program in New Zealand: Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan. They came to our youth hostel in Wellington and read us a book that was on our syllabus and another book that they hadn’t published yet, The Bomb (Cannonball in the US), that ended up winning the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. We got to see them again when we came back in 2023; Doc Martin presented on The Bomb at the 2024 ACLAR Conference. The book that they read to the students in 2023, Dazzlehands, about a sparkly pig has been adapted for the stage by the Royal New Zealand Ballet.”
If you would like to participate in a study abroad program with Martin and Harris, good news! They are leading a quarter-long program to Aotearoa New Zealand in winter quarter (January-March) 2026. Learn all about this upcoming adventure here!
Originally published April 2025