Student Stories from Around the World

Ethan Humble After a two-year hiatus, 黑料社 welcomed back May term study abroad courses. A total of 77 students participated, traveling to five locations: Italy, Spain, Greece, Ecuador, and London. The courses challenged students to discover more about the rich histories around the world through exploring, journaling, and photography.

May term students have since returned home and have nothing but amazing stories to share. Ethan Humble 鈥23 states, 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that enhanced my 黑料社 experience, and I can鈥檛 imagine a time when it wouldn鈥檛 work for a student.鈥

Italy and Spain through Photography聽

Italy and Spain are full of ancient histories, scenic views, and incredible architecture that anyone would love to capture through a camera. Students gained hands-on experience by capturing memories during their travels. Taryn Bertini 鈥24 states, 鈥淟earning how to take a photo that will show a story to someone else was a special experience.鈥

Taryn Derek Photography

Photo Credit: Taryn Bertini ’24 & Derek Maxfield ’23

Birthplace of Democracy聽

Greece is full of ancient democratic structures, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, that show the history of democracy. By touring across Greece, students gained an understanding of ancient democracy and how that modeled the United States鈥 democratic system.

Scout

Photo Credit: Scout Peery ’24

Media, Culture, and Sports in London聽

London is known for hosting various famous sporting events, like Wimbledon, the NFL, the Hundreds, and numerous professional soccer teams. Yet, how does the consumption of sports influence the culture? Students toured multiple stadiums, while journaling along the way, to gain a better understanding of the impact on the culture.

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Photo Credit: Morgan Flynn ’22 & Ethan Humble ’23

Merchants of Venice聽聽

The best way to learn about business is to speak with the owners on-site. 鈥淕etting outside of a traditional setting for a course was a great experience,鈥 said Jordan Ramquist 鈥24. While traveling through Northern Italy, students toured large corporations and small businesses to learn how to run a successful business, no matter the size.

Jordan

Photo Credit:聽Jordan Ramquist 鈥24

Natural History of Ecuador and Galapagos聽

In Ecuador and Galapagos, students set out to gain a better understanding of the process of evolution. They observed and studied plants and animals that are unique to the region and walked throughout the Amazon rainforest to gain an appreciation of biodiversity and conserve hotspot areas of biodiversity.

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Photo Credit: Madison Hays ’25

Wherever students traveled, they developed a deep cultural appreciation and individual growth. 鈥淚 think it is important for everyone to go abroad because I got that feeling that I was the outsider. I think that is an important feeling for everyone to feel in their life to build some empathy and understanding for others,鈥 stated Caitlyn Potter 鈥23.

Follow along on 黑料社’s social media all week to get the inside scoop from each course.

Caitlyn

Photo Credit: Caitlyn Potter ’23