Academic Programs Abroad

Comments From Program Alumni

Learn about how study abroad has impacted their lives after college

Student in Italy Brittany Faulkner graduated in December 2011 with degrees in business management and liberal studies. Her study abroad experiences set her on an exciting journey. Brittany says, "Study abroad not only let me take courses to satisfy my ISU requirements, but it allowed me to live in a country I had only dreamed of visiting. I traveled around Western Europe, ate tasty treats, met lifelong friends, and expanded my view of the world."  Her time in Italy jump started her global experience. After Brittany returned she started working for Janis and went on two shorter programs to Taiwan and then Ireland. 

These programs prepared Brittany the international experience required by her summer internship for Global Village." This was a six week internship that allowed me to practice business consulting, participate in development seminars and interact with 110 other inters from 48 countries!"

All of her experiences paid off. When Brittany graduated she already had a job lined up with Leadership exCHANGE, a study abroad organization based in Bloomington, IN. Brittany says, "I started out pursuing study abroad because I wanted to travel, but the additional experiences I encountered have shaped my career." Studying abroad gave Brittany wonderful memories and an edge into the professional world.

Brittany encourages all students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities, "It's going to impact your future in more ways than you can anticipate.

Erin-China                      Erin China 2

Erin Braun

"I graduated from in May of 2010 with a degree in Finance.

Five years after studying abroad, I still can’t explain how significant my summer in China has impacted me. My service learning program (half spent studying in Beijing, half teaching English in rural China) still catches employers eyes on my resume and ensures I always have something unique to discuss during an interview or networking experience. 

Spending time in a country where I didn’t speak the language or understand the culture has made me more culturally sensitive. 

My time studying abroad has made some of the fondest memories of my life. I went alone and didn’t know anyone on my trip. I now have friends all over the United States through social media and it’s possible to actually keep in touch. I gained social and personal awareness. My experiences have made many things including moving across the country, traveling for business, and adapting to many new situations easier.

The one memory I will never forget in China is a visit to a rural village. We were given tea in plastic Dixie cups that were literally melting in our hands. In China, you don’t drink the tap water, but while I listened to the family speak about how little they had (the tea was a HUGE gift), I humbly drank the tea in complete honor. I realized that even though I was in a service-learning program, I would take more from my experience than I would ever give.

If you are considering studying abroad, stop considering, pick a program that will challenge you, and go. You’ll get more from the experience than anything else you will ever chose to do. You can see anything in books, but the experiences you gain are impossible to duplicate or even imagine."

Our Alumni stories continue...

Erik Andersen    Whitney Morris    Betsy Bender     Bart Robertson    Sarah Christian    Brittany Faulkner   Julian Easterly