The Campus Mall was filled with students and stories of international travel at UW-Eau Claire’s annual Study Abroad Fair on Thursday, Sept. 18.

This event brought together faculty, program representatives and students who already studied abroad, giving firsthand insight on what it’s like to live and learn in another country.

UW-Eau Claire offers over 50 study abroad programs, which may be tailored to a specific major or interest, and are available during summer, spring, fall or winterim. 

Fourth-year English education student and Spanish minor Sophia Curran-Moore said study abroad was both an academic requirement and a personal goal. 

“Since I’m a Spanish minor, it was a requirement for me to study abroad, but I really wanted to go anyway, so it was kind of just an excuse to validate going abroad,” Curran-Moore said. “I went to Valpo, Chile, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The people were the most friendly people I’ve ever met, and it was so cool to be in that collectivist culture where everybody helps each other out.”

She said that the culture in Chile also exposed her to a new style of teaching not typically used in the United States.

“As a teacher, I had so many opportunities to practice teaching in that collectivist way, where students are helping each other rather than competing with each other,” she said.
“When I came back to the United States, I decided to be a study abroad intern and convince other people to study abroad so they can also have that mind-opening experience.”

Curran-Moore said her advice to students thinking about studying abroad is to go for it. 

“The worst thing that could happen is, even if you don’t have a great experience, you’ll still have learned so much,” Curran-Moore said. “Any of those struggles you may have had will make you a stronger person, but everyone I have talked to who has studied abroad says that they loved it and it was life-changing in the best way.”

Katie Fenno, a graduate student majoring in public history, said her study abroad experience in Scotland was liberating. 

“I went to a conference for part of my trip there, and I think the most incredible experience was when we had dinner in a castle,” said Fenno. “There was a gentleman in full kilt dress playing bagpipes, the sun was setting… It was like a movie. And then we went into this grand dining room and had haggis, which is actually good. It was great to meet people from all over the world.”

Fourth-year integrated strategic communications student Molly Cravens said she also enjoyed her time in Scotland. 

“When I studied abroad in Stirling, that was my first time ever leaving the United States, but I had a great time,” said Cravens. “It gave me the opportunity to experience solo travelling, see more of the world and meet so many people from different cultures … It was an experience I’m never going to forget.”

Institutional Relations Officer Katrina Brown was representing the Thailand table.

“Study abroad is really beneficial to students in any major, just to have an international perspective on what they’re studying and to learn other skills like being self-sufficient and resilient,” Brown said. 

According to Brown, Thailand offers a program in Khon Kaen which has a health or media focus, depending on the time of year, and a program in Chiang Mai with a focus on culture, religion and sociology.

At one of the Australian tables, third-year ecology and environmental biology student Bryan Volla shared his experience in Murdoch.

“We met a bunch of people from all over. Because the Murdoch Village is full of international students and also Aussies, we got to learn about culture from not just Australia but all over the world,” Volla said. “We also got to go on a Northwest trip and go into the Outback to see all the kangaroos and different wildlife in Australia. It was a great time.”

For a full list of study abroad programs offered by UW-Eau Claire, visit studyabroad.apps.uwec.edu.

Garrison can be reached at [email protected].