University of North Florida students who have studied abroad said the experience offered them not only academic credit, but also critical, personal and professional growth.
With stories of learning, creativity, and self-discovery, many UNF students have expressed the lasting impact of studying abroad has had on them.
Sofia Fernandez de la Reguera, a recent communications graduate from UNF, studied abroad in Nantes, France last year. She said it helped significantly with shaping her academic and career goals.
“It definitely changed my mindset,” said Fernandez de la Reguera, “I was so nervous about studying abroad, and it made me anxious to do it on my own. But after I did it, I felt more confident in myself.”
Fernandez de la Reguera said she was able to complete her degree’s capstone project while abroad. After her initial studies in France, she took advantage of her time in Europe and was able to travel to Italy, Croatia, and Switzerland as well.
“Being able to travel the world changed my perspective. I especially love the storytelling aspect of it. For my senior capstone, I made a video experience for each country I visited, and it unlocked a lot of opportunities for my career,” Fernandez de la Reguera said. “I love storytelling, so I loved that I was able to do that.”
Fernandez de la Reguera said students should do their research on the location and programs that will best suit them before studying abroad. She encouraged students to have a sit-down conversation with the staff at UNF, who she said are helpful, welcoming and want students to be involved in these programs.
“Go out and push yourself to try new things. You learn so much when experiencing other cultures, so you would regret not doing it. I used to be so scared of leaving, but honestly now I don’t know what I was scared of. Push yourself to do the research to go the extra mile,” said Fernandez de la Reguera.
Anecia Francis, a UNF communications student graduating this summer, spent four months last year studying Korean language in Daejeon, South Korea. She said this experience inspired her to travel more and potentially live abroad in the future.
“It really helped me to get out of my shell. The culture in Korea is very group-oriented in comparison to America, so [this experience] really helped me be more social,” said Francis.
Francis was the first UNF student to study in Daejeon and she went on the trip by herself. She said she joined two exchange groups while in Korea, where she was able to meet locals as well as people from all over the world.
“There are no downsides to studying abroad. If you’re scared, you can do a faculty-led program so that you have more support,” said Francis. “The way I see it is: do your research, be safe, make smart choices—but just go do it.”
Francis said studying outside of your home country is good for character development and she encourages UNF students to take advantage of the study abroad programs offered by the university.
Akintoye Oyedola, now a graduate student at UNF, was able to participate in travel abroad programs for three consecutive summers while working on his undergraduate degree at UNF. He traveled to Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland and Germany.
For his undergraduate degree, Oyedola was an information technology major with a minor in international business. The credit he received through his study abroad was mostly applied to his minor, but Oyedola said he also has a passion for sustainability and was able to learn how to apply sustainability practices within the context of IT.
“[Studying abroad] was the single most important highlight at UNF,” said Oyedola, “I realized how open the world is and that I need to be more open minded as well. I learned to respect other people’s spaces and had to learn to listen and understand others.”
Oyedola said how studying abroad taught him resilience. He explained that he has bad luck traveling and often runs into obstacles, but through traveling he has learned to trust himself and problem solve.
“I learned that I’m a global citizen. I’m able to see people as one now and I’m able to have more empathy. I’m very intentional with my interactions, and those conversations and memories will stick with me forever,” said Oyedola. “It’s nice to feel that connectedness all over the world.”
Oyedola encouraged students who want to study abroad to look into different scholarships and grants. Because of these options, Oyedola himself didn’t have to spend any money out of pocket for his study abroad programs.
“I don’t want to give advice to people thinking about traveling. I want your experience to be your experience. I don’t want to tell you what’s going to happen, I want you to find out for yourself,” said Oyedola.
For more information about studying abroad with UNF, students can visit studyabroad.unf.edu.
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