In the spring of 2019, the Class of 2021 embarked on their Sophomore Expedition to Athens, Greece. There, the students worked with refugee children, tried new foods, visited historic sites and had an unforgettable experience learning about Greek culture and the ancient world.
Beyond Athens, the 2021 graduates traveled far and wide to locations including Brazil, Panama, Finland, South Korea and Spain. The Office of Global Initiatives and International Programs recently put out a call for the Class of 2021 to share their study abroad stories. Below are some highlights:
Nursing student Asher Atwood studied in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and traveled to Athens, Greece with the Sophomore Expedition. She also had the opportunity to visit Panama with the School of Nursing and will travel with them again in January to Tanzania!
Pictured: Sitting on the edge of the Palamidi Castle in Nafplio. Nafplio was the original capital of Greece!
The School of Nursing traveled to Panama in January 2020 and set up a clinic in a village that only sees a doctor once a year.
In the spring of 2019, SAGE art therapy student Cynthia Rodriguez experienced an “art student’s dream,” studying abroad at the University of Barcelona in Spain. At the University, Rodriguez studied Spanish art, architecture and culture. She completed interesting class projects, including doing graffiti at a famous graffiti park (pictured), and participated in numerous field trips to museums and galleries.
“I love to travel, and I was very lucky to have this experience pre-COVID,” she says. “I loved being in the airports and taking planes, trains and taxi cabs all over. Other than Spain, I went to Portugal, Paris, Athens, London, Rome, Dublin and Morocco! It was an adventure in every country.”
Rodriguez will be continuing her art therapy journey at Cedar Crest—pursuing her master’s in the College’s Master of Art in Art Therapy (MAAT) Program.
Kelsie Steup, new media major, studied Korean life & culture in Seoul, South Korea with three other Cedar Crest students. She went back the next summer to study the Korean language.
Veronica Ngin, health science major, traveled to Greece with the Sophomore Expedition (left) and spent the summer in Seoul, South Korea (right).
Jonique Pace, social work major, was awarded a scholarship from Cedar Crest to travel to Finland with the Northampton Community College social work program. Pace was one of just five students that had the chance to participate in the study abroad experience.
In Finland, social work professionals met with the students to answer questions and provide insight into their work in order to help the students determine their path after graduation. Pace and the other students also learned about Finland’s social systems and visited a domestic violence shelter, a daycare and a mental shelter. Her experiences prepared her to start in the field right after graduation.