Collapse<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/aside>\n\n\n\nAs for Conger, she understands firsthand the mission of making studying abroad affordable. As a first-generation college student, she had to work part time while in school. \u201cStudy abroad was discouraged. My family was concerned it would delay graduation and it would add to costs,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was the perception that it was something wealthier students did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But once in graduate school, she more than made up for it. Conger worked as a student teacher in Mexico, did field work for her dissertation in South Africa and had a Ph.D. fellowship in the Republic of Kurdistan. Then she got a Fulbright to study in Japan. \u201cI got bit,\u201d she says. \u201cIf a student takes that first step through a well-organized and structured study abroad program, it will open doors later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nPassport Profiles<\/h1>\n\n\n\nGrant Wooten \u201924 \u2014 Florence, Italy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Grant Wooten \u201924 of Tryon, N.C., majored in sport management and human biology. He worked two seasons as a student athletic trainer for the football team. He studied in Florence, Italy, in spring 2023, taking courses including global sport management, pottery, Greek and Roman mythology, and travel writing. During his semester, he was able to travel to Venice, Rome and Switzerland, and was in London for coronation week.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nInspiration to study abroad: <\/strong>\u201cI had two friends who were going, and I started looking up pictures. It\u2019s Italy, it\u2019s gorgeous, and I realized it\u2019s what I want to do. I grew up in a low-income family, and we didn\u2019t do a lot of traveling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFavorite food<\/strong>: \u201cPizza. I\u2019ve always loved pizza. All the food was amazing, especially the gelato.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat he admired about the culture:<\/strong> \u201cPeople weren\u2019t in a rush all the time. It wasn\u2019t so draining. It was a lot more about enjoying the day to day instead of getting through the day. People would go to parks, sit by the river\u2009\u2014\u2009it\u2019s very much go with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSouvenirs:<\/strong> \u201cThe pottery I made. I was most proud of that. I also kept maps and business cards and whatever knickknacks I could find from where we went.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople weren\u2019t in a rush all the time. It wasn\u2019t so draining. It was a lot more about enjoying the day to day instead of getting through the day.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nLaicie Ray \u2014 Havana, Cuba<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Laicie Ray of Harrisburg, Pa., is majoring in biochemistry and international studies with a minor in Spanish. She received a Chancellor\u2019s Scholarship and spent two weeks in Havana, Cuba, studying the agricultural, environmental and sociopolitical histories of Cuba.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nInspiration to study abroad:<\/strong> \u201cI had not had that opportunity growing up. I did a mission trip with my church, but I knew I wanted to explore the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nI had not had that opportunity growing up. I did a mission trip with my church, but I knew I wanted to explore the world.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
What surprised her:<\/strong> \u201cHow safe it was. With Cuba, you hear about corruption and there\u2019s a negative narrative. But in my host home, children played outside by themselves until 11:00 at night. The people there are so kind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFavorite food:<\/strong> \u201cThe staple for me and my classmates, called ropa vieja. It translates to \u2018old clothing.\u2019 Every restaurant had it. It was kind of the chicken tenders of Cuba\u2009\u2014\u2009if you don\u2019t want to try something new, there\u2019s ropa vieja. It\u2019s roast beef with vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers, served with plantains, rice and black beans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat she admired about the culture: <\/strong>\u201cThe pride that they have as Cuban people. ...\u200a\u200aGenerally as a people, they are pretty optimistic. You would think, \u2018Oh my goodness, their food is rationed.\u2019 But people weren\u2019t complaining; people were out dancing, playing instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSouvenirs:<\/strong> \u201cPins with the Cuban flag for my siblings, lots of postcards, a book on Fidel Castro in Spanish. My mom loves to collect magnets, so lots of magnets. And personalized fans for my mother and grandmother with their names on them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nLaura Fuller \u2014 Paris, France; Stellenbosch, South Africa<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Laura Fuller, who lives in Pittsboro, N.C., is getting her MBA. Fuller took 10 years off to raise her children and now works full time at the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. She studied in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in June 2023, taking a management course on leadership, and in Paris, France, in spring 2024, where she took a class on negotiating. When she went to South Africa, it was the first time she had ever traveled alone.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nInspiration to study abroad\u200a:<\/strong> \u201cI had a seventh-grade geography teacher: she was a single woman. She had pictures of herself in the classroom, all over the world, traveling on her own ... the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China. I thought, \u2018I want to go places, too.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nI had a seventh-grade geography teacher. . . She had pictures of herself in the classroom, all over the world, traveling on her own ... the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China. I thought, \u2018I want to go places, too.\u2019<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
What surprised her:<\/strong> \u201cIn South Africa, the wild animals. There would be baboons on the side of the road stopping traffic. I love original art, and it was so easy to find in both places\u2009\u2014\u2009Paris and South Africa\u2009\u2014\u2009and fairly inexpensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat she admired about the culture: <\/strong>\u201cIn South Africa, they practice generational living. Children, parents and grandparents are in the same house, sometimes tight quarters. We lose something here when we don\u2019t spend enough time with older generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSouvenirs: <\/strong>\u201cFrom South Africa, wooden spoons made of acacia wood with a bone inlay. From Paris, scarves from thrift stores, jewelry and art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhil Vasto \u2014 Stellenbosch, South Africa<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Phil Vasto is a chemical engineering major from Brooklyn, N.Y. A transfer student who entered NC State in 2023, he was already an experienced traveler. Vasto spent the spring of 2024 studying at Stellenbosch University outside of Cape Town. He was able to take required courses for his major, including chemical thermodynamics, reactor engineering and heat transfer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFavorite food:<\/strong> \u201cThey have a barbecue, called a braai in Afrikaans. ... It\u2019s a fun way of getting together in your neighborhood. All the locals do it, so we started to do it on our dorm grounds where we have a backyard grill. Everyone brings meat and steaks. Believe me, the beef cuts are amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat he admired about the culture:<\/strong> \u201cI really enjoy the diversity of Cape Town ... so many different kinds of people. My mother\u2019s Puerto Rican and my father\u2019s Italian. Coming from New York, I am used to meeting people from other cultures. South Africa has, like, 12 official languages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSouvenirs:<\/strong> \u201cWine for everyone. My mom, she likes the fridge magnets. Give her a postcard and fridge magnet, she\u2019ll be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat they call \u2018load shedding.\u2019 About an hour or two hours every day there is a planned power outage. ... It\u2019s generally accepted as a way of life.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
What surprised him:<\/strong> \u201cWhat they call \u2018load shedding.\u2019 About an hour or two hours every day there is a planned power outage. The university has generators, and there\u2019s an app to navigate so you know when it\u2019s going to happen. But if you\u2019re in town, the lights will go out if it\u2019s night, the air conditioners will go off. It\u2019s generally accepted as a way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nGianni Dixon \u201924 \u2014 Prague, Czech Republic<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Gianni Dixon \u201924 of Greenville, N.C, grew up in the Miami, Fla., area and majored in science, technology and society. She spent the summer of 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic, where she studied Czech language and culture and Czech food and society. The trip was her first time on a plane. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know the steps to get on a plane,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought you just go there and tell them where you\u2019re going.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nInspiration to study abroad:<\/strong> \u201cI always wanted to study abroad. In the Miami area, it was a melting pot of cultures. I was on the Latin American studies track, but then over the course of college I found I had an interest in other parts of the world. I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone and explore eastern Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFavorite food:<\/strong> \u201cI really did like their version of schnitzel. I thought it was just going to be fried flat chicken. ... We studied the history of food in the Czech Republic and made Czech dishes like lentil soup and potato pancakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat she'd bring back to the United States: <\/strong>\u201cThe public transportation. It was so amazing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe public transportation. It was so amazing.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhat surprised her: <\/strong>\u201cThe Roma culture. We studied migration patterns and talked about how the Roma people in the Czech Republic did a lot of the hands-on work. I would walk around and see them on construction sites. Their families would come and bring them lunch. It was very community oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nTell Us What You Think<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Do you have a personal connection to this story? Did it spark a memory? Want to share your thoughts? Send us a letter, and we may include it in an upcoming issue of NC State<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n