Professors showcase study abroad programs
The Study Abroad Fair presented a variety of options and opportunities for UTRGV students to study abroad.
Hosted by the Global Affairs department, the event took place Tuesday in the Main Building Courtyard on the Brownsville campus and Sept. 18 in the University Ballroom on the Edinburg campus.
Management Professor Joo Jung told The Rider there are about 25 to 30 programs in multiple countries, including South Korea, Spain, France, Italy, Costa Rica and Peru.
“There are several scholarships, such as the Gilman Scholarship, which is quite a bit up to $5,000, and then Education Abroad Scholarship, which is somewhere about $1,000 per student,” Jung said about the financial help that students can obtain. “And then, there are some colleges, for example, my college offers some additional scholarships for about $1,000 a person.”
He suggested students check the website for the UTRGV Global Affairs program. Students will find all the programs that are approved by school and are being offered to students.
“Students will go to that country, go through the course, but also have an opportunity to interface with different organizations and also students and faculty or even companies at those countries,” Jung said. “Gaining the first firsthand experience of the actual country itself is something very valuable.”
He said studies have shown having a study abroad course as part of students’ experiences can help them get a job in the future.
“We encourage, obviously, for students to apply and have this experience,” Jung said. “Try to find out more about study abroad, education abroad, opportunities and find out more about what scholarships and funding is available and then, try to take advantage of it if you can.”
Creative writing Associate Professor Britt Haraway told The Rider he offers a travel writing course and a poetry appreciation class in Paris.
“It’s a great place to study poetry,” Haraway said. “All the buildings and museums, the river–all these places have inspired writers over the years.”
The creative writing associate professor said students will visit the Louvre, the catacombs, attend a fashion show and experience a different culture.
“Instead of being at the lecture in front of the class … you’re in a wonderful museum, or we’re going to Sainte-Chappelle with all the stained-glass windows, and we can talk about, well, different aesthetics,” Haraway said.
He said the benefit of studying abroad is the relationship with 10 or 15 people getting to know each other and experiencing this together.
“I went to Wales and that was a great place to study literature,” Haraway said. “So, find a great class that works for your degree and you’ll get to use that credit. But also the credit you don’t see, the relationships you build, the new experiences you acquire is just as valuable.”
He said students are advised to apply early for the Gilman scholarship.
“If you get that, it’s almost a lock that you can do this financially,” Haraway said. “It’s going to be available to you, and it’s going to be educationally rewarding.”
Jair Aguilar, an associate professor in the Teaching and Learning department, said he will offer a math methods course in Spain.
“The intention is that students have three weeks to know not only the city and everything that the cities have to offer, but also getting to know prestigious institutions in Seville, Granada and Madrid,” Aguilar said in Spanish.
He tells students to look outside of the objective, gather experiences, get to know other places, and understand how the globalized world works.
“And then come back to the Rio Grande Valley and share all the knowledge with our people, to know that there is a lot more beyond our borders, beyond the RGV,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar advises students not to waste the opportunity to study abroad.
“It’s now or never,” he said. “When someone finishes their collegiate career, other things start going on: start working, get married, have children. And the possibilities to travel abroad goes almost to zero–almost. I do not say it is impossible, I just say it gets harder.”
Iyovana Cantu, a junior pursuing a degree in business administration, said she is interested in studying abroad.
“Right now, honestly, I just came with the mentality of just looking around,” Cantu said. “But, honestly, I left really happy with all of the places that we would be able to study abroad. I would love to go to Mexico City because of the photography opportunity. … I’m Mexican, so I would really love to learn more about my heritage, where I come from and all of the touristic places.”
