Spring 2019

Hannah Avner – Korea University Exchange, Seoul, South Korea

Vitals: Junior, Political Science major, Art and Entrepreneurship certificates

Goals: I believe that the best things in life come when you force yourself to step out of your comfort zone. In South Korea, I plan on constantly pushing myself to try new things and meet interesting people. I’d also like to travel to other countries in Asia, try practicing Korean Buddhism, and learn more about Asian politics.

Motivation:  I have lived and traveled all around Europe, but have never been to Asia. My dad has done research with scientists from South Korea, so I’ve had South Korea in mind as a country I’d like to travel to for a few years now. I can’t wait to hike through South Korea’s breathtaking national parks, learn about their fascinating history, and explore the vibrant city of Seoul.

Previous overseas travel:  England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Canada, & Mexico.

Maggie Baker – CIEE Advanced Liberal Arts and Liberal Arts in Seville, Spain

Vitals: Junior. Double major in History and Spanish.

Goals: My main goal is to become fluent in Spanish and talk to as many Spaniards as possible. I’m also looking forward to making new friends, traveling around Europe, and immersing myself in a new culture!

Motivation:  I’ve always been intrigued by Spanish history and culture. I specifically chose the Seville program because people have told me that the locals are friendly, the architecture is stunning, and the food is divine. I also have lots of family spread across Europe and wanted the chance to visit them!

Previous overseas travel:  Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden

Taya Briggs – UIUC Spanish Studies in Granada, Spain

Vitals: Pre-Nursing and Spanish Major

Goals: I am hoping to learn a lot more about myself, Spanish culture, and also improve on my
second language. I want to immerse myself in as many cultural traditions as I can, and eat lots
of amazing Spanish cuisine!

Motivation: Because of my Spanish major and past experience in Spain, I always knew it was
the country where I wanted to spend my semester! However, I specifically chose the UIUC
Granada program because I wanted to live with a host family. I knew if I lived in an apartment or dorm, I would eat boxed mac and cheese and ramen instead of octopus and paella!

Previous overseas travel: I have previously gone to Canada, Germany, France, England,
Spain, and Switzerland

Celeste Carroll – Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA), Florence, Italy

Vitals: BSA in art with a focus in Graphic Design, and certificates in art history, digital studies and material cultures. I am currently a junior.

Goals:  To gain independence and foster creativity in a place far from home. I want to use this time to gain inspiration from my new and unfamiliar surroundings, and to learn more about a culture that is different than my own. And, to explore both urban and rural areas of the country!

Motivation:  I am interested in exploring art further in Florence, where many of the masters such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci have their roots! I have passions in design, art history, as well as historic preservation, and hope to discover how these areas can intersect in a city where these fields are prominent. I also have family ties to Italy as a country, and want to understand how my heritage can connect to my creative practices.

Previous overseas travel: Iceland, Czech Republic, Poland, Spain, France, Guatemala, Mexico & Canada.

 

 

 

Caroline Daniels – Academic Program in Aix-en-Provence, France

Vitals: Majoring in French and Journalism, certificate in Graphic Design

Goals:  My goals for my time abroad are to become more fluent in French and to become more confident and independent in traveling alone.

Motivation:  I chose Aix-en-Provence because I will be immersed in a French-speaking university alongside native speakers, and will hopefully grow in my fluency. It doesn’t hurt that it will be much warmer and sunnier than Madison in the spring!

Previous overseas travel:  Over the summer I traveled to Montreal with my family and had a small taste of a French (and English) speaking country. But my time in Aix will be my first flight alone and my first travel alone!

Payton Hermes – Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA), Florence, Italy

Vitals: Junior Retail and Consumer Behavior Major

Goals:  I am ready to challenge myself in a way I never thought I would push myself to do. Being 20 and never have been out of the country, I’m excited to fully dive into an entirely different culture and see what the world has to offer.

Motivation: I have always wanted to study abroad. However, I never thought that it was something I would actually put my mind to doing. My dad and I were talking over the summer and he told me that I should really think about looking into places to go, and I realized that I would never have an opportunity like this again, so might as well go after it. I decided to go to Florence because the school that I am studying at, Santa Reparata International School of Arts (SRISA) has many classes that focus on my major.

Previous overseas travel: none! : )

Katherine Higgins – National University of Ireland – Galway, Ireland

Vitals: Junior; Journalism and Communication Arts

Goals: My main goal while studying abroad is to take things slow, relax, and take each day as it comes. I want to work on not worrying about things all of the time and enjoy whatever I’m doing.

Motivation: I always knew that I would study abroad in college, but I could never decide where. The semester before I applied to NUI- Galway, I had chosen four other universities in different countries. Once the time came to actually apply, I saw the Ireland program and knew it would be perfect for me. I love history and I am excited to see more of the beautiful Irish landscape.

Previous overseas travel: England, France, Spain, Ireland

 

 

 

Abigail King – CIEE Rome Open Campus, Italy

Vitals: Political Science and History with Comprehensive Honors, Certificate in Business from the University of Virginia McIntire Institute

Goals:  My goal is to travel to a different country every weekend I am abroad. I want to see as much as I can in the short time that I am there.

Motivation:  Rome, Italy has a rich history that I have been studying for my entire life. Being Catholic, Rome is very close to my heart. I can’t wait to see all that it has to offer!

Previous overseas travel:  None!

 

 

 

Amanda Janquart – WIP Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

Vitals: Junior Neurobiology and Spanish Major

Goals: My biggest goal is to improve my Spanish speaking skills, and I am excited that I can learn about the culture while living in it.

Motivation: I have wanted to study abroad for a long time, and since I was able to continue taking Spanish classes in college, I knew I wanted to study somewhere where I could be immersed in the language. After browsing all the programs available in Spanish-speaking countries, I realized that the WIP Program at Universidad Complutense de Madrid was best opportunity for me to achieve my goals. I loved my previous time in Spain, so I am excited to go back for a whole semester!

Previous overseas travel: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Canada, France, Spain, & Belgium.

 

 

 

Aly Long – UW in London, England

Vitals: History Major, European Studies & French Minors

Goals:  What I’m looking forward to the most about my time abroad is being able to push myself to new limits by experiencing a life completely different from the one I’ve come to know. I’m excited to get to know a new culture while learning and working in a brand-new city.

Motivation:  London not only has a fascinating history that I’m very excited to explore as a History major, but also a fantastic global community. I’d like to work in an international field one day, so having an understanding of an internationally important city like London is important for me. So many people move in and out of London every day, so there’s always something different going on and something new to explore.

Previous overseas travel:  Mexico, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Germany, Finland

 

 

Alana Morrison – Arcadia Dublin Parliamentary Internship, Ireland

Vitals: Senior: English Creative Writing

Goals: My goals are to explore the country of Ireland and hopefully many other countries around Europe. Along with that my goal abroad is to gain knowledge about Irish politics through my internship in Dublin Parliament.

Motivation: I have always wanted to visit Ireland and spend a significant amount of time there. Since I had a semester of undergrad left before graduating in May I thought that going abroad and interning while there was a great chance for me to experience both before my time at UW-Madison is done.

Previous overseas travel:  Italy, Canada, Australia

 

 

 

Mara Nasui – IES Liberal Arts and Business Program in Barcelona, Spain

Vitals: Strategic Communication Major, Entrepreneurship and Digital Studies Minors

Goals: When I am abroad, my goal is to travel to as many countries as I can in order to try new foods, meet new people, take plenty of pictures and learn more about different cultures. I am eager to see new places and try new activities that I may never get the opportunity to do again!

Motivation: Since all of my relatives, outside of my immediate family, live in Europe, I always knew I wanted to take the opportunity to study abroad. I was very indecisive about where I wanted to study, especially because I have been to a few European countries to visit family, but I ended up choosing Spain because of the beautiful scenery, the delicious food, the great weather and the easy traveling accommodations to reach other cities. I have always loved traveling and exploring new destinations, so I figured studying abroad would be the best way to maximize my experiences and immerse myself in diverse cultures!

Previous Overseas Travel: Dominican Republic, France, Monaco, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Austria, Turkey, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Mexico.

 

Amanda Oelke – IES Liberal Arts and Business Program in Barcelona, Spain

Vitals: Junior in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications – Strategic Communication & Digital Studies, Studio Art – Graphic Design/Photography, and Leadership certificates

Goals:  Besides my goal to see and experience as many European countries as I can, I want to discover more about the Spanish culture and lifestyle, including trying new foods and practicing the Spanish language skills I will be learning. I am excited to step out of my comfort zone to make new friends and experience completely new things to grow as a person and make lasting memories.

Motivation:  Finding where I wanted to study abroad was a difficult process for me. I like so many places across Europe and found that I would have been happy with a number of programs. Barcelona was always one that stuck out to me because I have been there briefly once before, so there was some slight familiarity to it, and a larger city was something I was looking for. I could have easily picked a place that spoke English, but I wanted to accept the challenge of both a cultural and language difference in order to really immerse myself into something new. I wanted to study abroad because it will be a great experience to learn more about the world and get me out of my bubble here at UW-Madison, anyplace I travel throughout the semester will most definitely do that.

Previous overseas travel: Italy, Spain, France, & Mexico

Courtney Westover – University of Leeds Exchange, England

Vitals: Biology Major, Pre-dental Student

Goals:   When I’m abroad I hope to make new friends, travel to new places, and join some clubs on Leeds’s campus.

Motivation:  I love traveling so when I came to college, I knew that I wanted to travel abroad at some point. When choosing a place to study abroad, it was really important for me to still be able to graduate in four years. I looked for programs that let me work on my major’s credentials abroad and Leeds offered classes that would go towards my major. Once I had it narrowed down to a few places that would let me work on my major, Leeds intrigued me because it is a city with lots to do, but it also has a large college campus like Madison. I like that I’ll get both the city world and college world in one place. Another thing I liked about Leeds is that it has a train station and a small airport, which will allow me to travel around to other places in Europe.

Previous overseas travel:  I’ve been to England before, so I’m excited to be back there for an extended period of time. I’ve also been fortunate enough to travel to India, Netherlands, Wales, France, Italy, Spain, and Denmark.