Summer 2011

Monica Hickey – London, England Arcadia Internship

Vitals: Junior majoring inJournalism and Strategic Communications.

Goals: My goals in London are to have fun, learn a lot (especially at my internship), and see as much as possible. Twitter sent me a gem the other day, a list of historical literary cafés in Europe. As a former Barista, and literature lover, I feel it’s my duty/destiny/quest to visit each one.

Motivation: Make my own story. Some people like to read books and watch movies for the plot or the action, but I love the characters. I am so excited to go abroad and learn the stories of people whose lives may have no resemblance to my normal. At the same time I want to visualize the stories of the places I have read about and studied, all the while making my own adventures.

Previous overseas travel: I’ve never left North America

Amy Krill – Tianjin, China

Vitals: Senior Communication Arts Major, possible Certificate in East Asian Studies

Goals: I hope to be a role model for my younger sisters, and anyone else who needs a little inspiration to say “yes I can!”  and go out into the world to pursue their dreams.  My academic goal is to experience as much of Chinese culture as possible and to gain the skills necessary to converse with native Chinese-speakers.  I would like to become a more well-rounded person, to gain a deeper understanding of life, and to expand my comfort zone and capabilities as a world-traveler. J

 

Motivation:  Curiosity!  I am extremely fascinated with people, language, and culture.  I think that studying and living abroad will be the perfect way to see how people in different places live.  Some people ask me “why?” and I say “why not!”. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I just know I would regret not taking advantage of.  …And I have to admit, I do love a challenge!

 

Previous Overseas Travel: France, Germany, Switzerland


Ellie Krueger – Florence, Italy

Vitals: Junior Biology Major, Premed

Goals: While abroad, I hope to step out of my comfort zone by taking classes in Italian Renaissance Art and Italian language, which leads me to my second goal: attempting to practice the limited Italian skills I pick up in my beginner’s language class.  I hope to become an independent traveler but also meet a ton of new people, and last but certainly not least, enjoy a huge variety of delicious Italian cuisine!

Motivation: With plans to graduate next spring, I want to take full advantage of what may be my only opportunity to use the words “study abroad” as justification for a super-extended European vacation.  I have only traveled overseas once, when I did a family stay program in France during my senior year of high school.  For as long as I have been considering study abroad, I’ve planned to go to Italy.  As narrow-minded as it sounds, the original draw was the food!  (But honestly, can you blame me?)  Studying in Florence also puts me in close proximity to the other cities I plan to visit, including Rome, Venice, Milan, St. Tropez, and Annecy.

Previous overseas travel: France, Montreal, Quebec, and Mexico (Okay, not technically overseas, but an attempt to make this list a little less pathetic)

Elizabeth Langhoff – Sydney, Australia

Vitals: Elementary Education major with a Gender and Women’s Studies Minor

Goals: My biggest goal while abroad is to learn: learn from my internship site, learn from people in Australia, and learn more about myself.  I am interning in an elementary school in Sydney so I hope to come back with new, different, and effective teacher techniques.  I also hope to learn a lot about Australians and their culture, especially the indigenous populations.  Lastly, I want to test my own limits and push myself.  I am very grounded when it comes to my family so I think it will be very difficult to not see them for ten weeks.  However, I know that I will grow a lot as a person from this experience which makes everything worth it

Motivation: I’ve done a lot of traveling and been a lot of places, but living somewhere is so different than just visiting.  I have been to Australia before, and there’s something about it that is drawing me back to live there and fully experience everything it has to offer, and  I really want to become immersed in a new a culture in ways that could never happen from just a short trip.  I love experiencing new cultures, foods, ideas, and people, and the best way to do this is to move to a foreign country and live there for an extended period of time.

Previous overseas travel: Nicaragua, Mexico, Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, France, England, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland, Norway, Denmark and  Estonia -my mom is a travel agent 🙂

Cynthia Novak – Freiburg, Germany Green Internship

Vitals: I am a returning adult, non-traditional student majoring in Community & Environmental Sociology and Environmental Studies (2nd Major)

Goals: Beyond my academic goals, I hope to learn a lot about Germany and gain a new perspective on how the people of Freiburg live differently than we do here in the US. I am confident I will make life-long friends and plan to take advantage of getting around to other areas in Europe during my free time. Of course eating great food is high on my list of things to do during my study abroad.

Motivation: My interest was immediately peaked when I first heard of this opportunity to study abroad in Freiburg.  I cannot think of a better place to be to learn about sustainable living than in one of the, if not the, greenest cities in Europe.

Previous overseas travel: My only travel outside the US has been to Mexico on a brief holiday with family.

Jackie Pecquex – Granada, Spain

Vitals: Junior, double-majoring in Journalism and Spanish

Goals: I want to become fluent (or almost fluent) in Spanish. Being able to speak a different is one of the coolest things in the world to me! I’m also an extremely picky eater (I don’t like eggs, fish or any seafood, among other things) and I hope I’ll try some traditional Spanish dishes!

Motivation: I love learning about different cultures. A lot of history I’ve learned has been presented through an American lens, and studying abroad refocuses that lens a little bit. I also want to become more comfortable with speaking Spanish.

Previous overseas travel: I’ve traveled a lot within the United States (my dad has a goal to visit every Major League Baseball stadium AND every National Park) but outside of the U.S., I’ve only been to Canada. This will be my first time off of the continent!

Caroline Radaj – Paris, France

Vitals: Junior, Journalism (Strategic Communications and Reporting), Communication Arts (Radio, Television, Film)

Goals: I have a multitude of goals while abroad. First, I want to take advantage of EVERY opportunity I have while abroad. I am only abroad for a short time and I know it will go by fast so I need to make sure no opportunity gets passed by. I also want to learn how the education system works in another country. I can’t wait for my parents to come visit and show them the country and impress them with my French! Lastly, I also have an unhealthy obsession with fashion and Paris is the capital of everything glamour and couture. I would love to get a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes while in Paris. Hey, a girl can dream!

Motivation: Like any Badger, I am obsessed with Madison. I have wanted to study abroad but not be away from Madison too long, so the summer program is perfect. I think the time I spend abroad will give me a break from Madison that I need and I will come back and appreciate my university and city a million times more before my senior year. In high school I got the opportunity to visit France with my French class for a week, but it was definitely more of tourist visit. This time I get to immerse myself in the culture, be a student and live there for an extended period of time. Paris will enhance my French and challenge me to see how far I can push myself. I can’t wait to meet new people, as well!

Previous overseas travel: France, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Monaco (I need to do more traveling!)

Kevin Rilea – Perugia, Italy

Vitals: Junior Communication Arts Major, Italian Major, Certificate in Business

Goals: I want to travel, meet new people, see places that most people don’t get to, and most importantly have a tremendously crazy time

Motivation: I’ve always wanted to go to Italy and I thought that the summer would be the perfect time to go. Perugia seemed like a great city to study in because it is a college town and it’s in such a great location which will make it easy to travel all over Italy and the surrounding countries while I’m there. It’s also not one of the main spots that most people who go to Italy visit so I can see a part of Italy that isn’t that well known.

Previous overseas travel: None

Hannah Shepard – Brussels, Belgium

Vitals: Junior Political Science & Journalism major

Goals: I want to see as much of Belgium and Europe as I can. I only have a month, but I want to take every opportunity and not regret missing an experience. Also, I want to be able to speak Flemish. It sounds awesome.

 

Motivation: I have never been able to travel abroad (excluding a trip to Canada when I was six), so this is a big step. I love traveling, and this is my first trip on my own. I want to completely submerge myself in a culture, and try not to look too much like a tourist along the way.

Previous Overseas Travel: Canada

Sara Wagner – China Feng Shui

Vitals: Sophomore Interior Design Major, Business Certificate, Textiles Certificate

Goals: My goal is take in ABSOLUTELY as much as I can from the Chinese culture, everything from their design, to daily activities, to the food. I want to have a completely open mind and just want to have fun, learn as much as I can, and be up for anything!

Motivation: I have never really traveled before and I knew from the moment I got accepted to UW Madison that I wanted to study abroad. The professional Interior Design program is very structured and once you get accepted it is very hard to study abroad, so I knew I would need to choose a summer program. The Chinese Feng Shui Trip is the perfect complement to my major and I feel like I will learn so much that will not only enhance my studies, but my future career as well. I have heard all about this trip from others who have gone in the past and I know that this is truly going to be the time of my life!

Previous overseas travel: I have never been outside of the United States…ever… not to Canada or Mexico… actually; I don’t even think I have been West of Minnesota or East of Indiana. Let’s just say this is the start of much more traveling to come. Go big or go home right?

1 thought on “Summer 2011”

  1. I wish that I would have had this opportunity when I was in school. The chance to expand my creative horizons and see alternative views would have shortened my learning curve considerably. Here’s hoping all these young people will take advantage of this!

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