For four Linfield College students, a month studying abroad proved to be an opportunity of a lifetime to travel, learn and bond with their peers.
Sophomore Mikaela Viloria and seniors Rachel Axtman, Riley Denson and Alyssa Townsend studied abroad during January Term and discovered the flexibility to experience new lands and cultures.
While studying healthcare in New Zealand, Denson, a biology major and chemistry minor from Corvallis, not only fell in love with the New Zealand landscape, but also its inhabitants.
“Our visit to Christchurch in the South Island was one of my favorites,” said Denson. “It was unlike all the other cities we visited, beautiful not because of the beaches or lakes, but because of the community. The city is completely rebuilding after a major earthquake four years ago. We got to see how emergency plans were carried out the day of the earthquake inside and outside of the hospital and what plans were in place for the psychosocial well-being of their citizens in the aftermath. The people of this community were so resilient and their strength was a truly beautiful thing to witness.”
For Axtman, an international relations major and philosophy and German minor from Portland, studying religion and socio-political philosophy in Nepal and Bhutan helped her to gain a new perspective on how people live around the world.
“I feel like I have a greater understanding of cultural relativism now,” said Axtman. “Nepal and Bhutan are so vastly different from where I come from and these countries operate on very different social norms.”
Viloria, a mass communication and marketing major from Orange, Calif., spent January Term studying island economics in American and Western Samoa.
“After my trip, I feel more independent and aware of my surroundings,” said Viloria. It was my first time out of the United States and I feel as if now I can truly appreciate everything that I have, whether its school, sports or family.”
Townsend, a mass communication major and sociology minor from Caldwell, Idaho, also experienced personal transformation when she studied mass media in the European Union in England and Belgium.
“As graduation steadily approaches, at a speed by which I am both excited and terrified, I can’t help but be anxious,” said Townsend. “To explore a part of the world so different from the small town I grew up in Idaho was exactly what I needed to revitalize my soul and reenergize my mind in order to finish my last semester of college strong this spring. This experience also helped remind me that learning can occur outside of the classroom. Truly receiving an education is about experiencing new things, breaking expectations and striving to learn from the past.”
Learn more about International Programs at Linfield.
