麻豆影院

麻豆影院 State Enables More Diverse Students to Study Abroad

Six recent high school graduates got a head start on their college education by studying abroad this summer

Six recent high school graduates who will be starting classes at 麻豆影院 this fall got a head start on their college education by studying abroad at 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Florence Summer Institute in Florence, Italy.  

Tajee Anderson, Rachel Brown, Jalessa Caples, Iniah Dunbar, Dennis Meacham and Isaac Talley were part of the Seminal Six 鈥 the first group of students in a pilot program that seeks to offer underserved students the opportunity to experience global education beyond their local communities. The program was created by 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Office of Global Education and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The students, who had chosen to attend 麻豆影院 State for college, were part of the university鈥檚 Upward Bound program that helps to increase educational opportunities for first-generation, low-income students. The Seminal Six had rarely traveled outside their neighborhoods and some had never been on a plane prior to their education-abroad experience in Florence this summer.

鈥淚 think Tennessee is the farthest I鈥檝e ever gone,鈥 said Dunbar, from Akron, Ohio. 鈥淚鈥檝e done five or six small trips with Upward Bound to see colleges and one family trip to see my grandma.鈥

Diversity & Global Education Initiative

Marcello Fantoni, Ph.D., 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 associate provost for global education, said 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 program is a huge step in the right direction in leveling the playing field for underserved students and offering them a worldly perspective. 

鈥淕lobal education gives students opportunities for cultural enrichment, academic development and career enhancement,鈥 Fantoni said. 鈥淯nfortunately, the most underserved students 鈥 minorities, disabled, economically challenged, socially challenged 鈥 are virtually shut out of the international education experience.鈥

鈥淭he Office of Global Education and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are in partnership to support the academic growth and development of diverse students from many cultures,鈥 said Alfreda Brown, Ed.D., vice president for 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 鈥淲e believe embracing multicultural competencies encourages a more dynamic understanding of diversity and inclusion. Together we hope to create a more welcoming and affirming university across a variety of cultures, using the term multiculturalism in its truest understanding, for both domestic and international diversity.鈥

Experiencing a New Culture

In addition to attending classes, studying and doing homework, the students got to explore Italian culture and cities on weekends.

鈥淲e went rafting, and we had a cooking class where we made pasta from scratch and tiramisu. We went to Rome and Pisa, which was pretty cool,鈥 Dunbar said.

The language barrier did not hinder these students from fully immersing themselves in the Italian culture, with some of them taking advantage of their Italian language classes to learn how to make conversations with locals.

鈥淧rior to departure, I did not speak any Italian, but I took an introductory course while I was there,鈥 said Anderson, from Lorain, Ohio. 鈥淚nitially it was a challenge. The language barrier was hard to get used to, but the class made it easier for me to pick up on the language.鈥

For Meacham, who wants to become a music educator, studying in Florence not only gave him the opportunity to experience music from a different culture, but also helped him achieve his desire to gain a more structured view of the world.

鈥淚 saw a few music venues in Italian opera, and we went through a piazza where there was a band playing,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 would like to continue learning about music from different cultures. I would really like to go to Asia or Africa and see their styles of music.鈥

Meacham, who is from Barberton, Ohio, said he fell in love with a lot of things in Italy.

鈥淚 really don鈥檛 like being in cars 鈥 everyone walks there,鈥 Meacham said. 鈥淚 was able to cook, and a lot of the foods there are fresher, which is really nice. I learned some of the language as much as I could even though I did not take a language class while I was there.鈥

Impact of Studying Abroad

Dunbar, who will major in athletic training and has a goal to be the first in her family with a college degree, always knew she would want to study abroad someday. 

鈥淚 just knew I needed to study abroad,鈥 Dunbar said. 鈥淏eing in America, you only get to see American things. They say it鈥檚 a melting pot, but the other cultures are watered down, and you don鈥檛 get to see it in full effect. So when you get to go to another country and see it at its peak and at its best, it鈥檚 completely different. You have to be thankful for that experience. You can鈥檛 appreciate something until you know what it鈥檚 about.鈥 

鈥淭his was my first time being away from my family, which I think was very important for me because through this program, I鈥檝e gained a lot of independence,鈥 Anderson said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 just call my mother and ask her how to do something; I had to learn on my own.鈥

Anderson believes that studying abroad is something that all students should try to do at some point in the course of their education.

鈥淭here are things that textbooks can鈥檛 teach students, which you can only experience through living other cultures,鈥 said Anderson, who will major in psychology at 麻豆影院 State. 鈥淏efore I left, I wasn鈥檛 really globalized and I didn鈥檛 really know about things outside my hometown. I鈥檝e learned there鈥檚 more to life than what I鈥檝e always known.鈥

about the benefits of global education and these 麻豆影院 State students鈥 education-abroad experience featured in U.S. News & World Report.

For more information about 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Office of Global Education, visit www.kent.edu/globaleducation.

For more information about 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, visit www.kent.edu/diversity.

 

POSTED: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 04:34 PM
Updated: Thursday, April 4, 2024 10:04 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Foluke Omosun