Denmark: Ava Clouser

Program: DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Summer

Ava’s Major: Nutritional Science

Describe your internship, research, or fieldwork and how the experience helped advance your career or studies.

This program counted as my fieldwork experience for the Global Health certificate. I feel like I got to participate in a program that was extremely hands-on, which I really enjoyed. I got a front-row seat to the Danish healthcare system. As a class, we completed group projects on the immune system, used virtual reality to explore the muscles and ligaments of the body, and performed emergency medicine simulations. We also traveled to Vienna, Austria as a class and were able to explore the healthcare system in a different European country and then use everything we learned to compare the healthcare systems of Denmark, Austria, and the United States. As someone who is pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant, I felt like this program gave me healthcare knowledge that I may not have had any other chance to learn.

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

My most memorable experience from my program was going on a Study Tour to Vienna, Austria with my class! There were 14 of us and we all got to know each other really well during the 5 days. We were able to tour a medical museum, a hospital, and meet with planned parenthood. We were also able to kayak down the Danube, go wine tasting, do a walking tour, and attend a show at the opera. It was something that I will never forget and one of the coolest things that I’ve gotten to partake in.

What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward?

A tradition that I got to take part in while I was in Copenhagen was Midsummer! It takes place in June and the whole city celebrates with bonfires, food, drinks, and good friends. I got to celebrate with locals, who held a bonfire and each of us came up with something that we wanted to release and burnt a piece of wood to symbolize it!