Education Abroad

Transcript

Let’s catch up with Sam. He’s a national merit scholar and Vandal track and field athlete from Montana, pursuing a degree in rangeland conservation with a minor in wildlife resources. He’s gonna tell us how he bombed the time to complete a study abroad. Run with it, Sam.

– Thanks, Alex. Hi, y’all. I can still remember being in middle school when I first learned about study abroad from a family friend. He’d just come back from a semester abroad and I decided I’m gonna do exactly what he did. That idea never left me and I’ve looked for opportunities to make it happen ever since. When I came to the University of Idaho, I continued to pursue the idea of studying abroad, but I couldn’t leave during the school year due to my commitment to the university’s track and cross-country team. Attending a first time info session with the study abroad department opened whole new doors for me. There are options to travel year round. I was introduced to a three-week summer program in South Africa where the learning takes place in the bush. Three weeks in South Africa to study wildlife and earn credit and camp out every night, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. The application through the university was a breeze and the study abroad department checked in frequently to help with anything I needed. After deciding to travel, my next thought was how am I going to finance this? It was a valid concern, but there were so many scholarships available to me that my largest expense seemed to have been souvenirs. The University of Idaho encourages study abroad and makes sure that everyone is able to take advantage of the opportunity. My time in South Africa was incredible. I experienced a whole new ecosystem, met incredible people, increased my understanding of wildlife, and made memories that I know will last a lifetime. None of that would’ve been possible without the people at the University of Idaho guiding me there. There’s a lot of world to see, but there needs to be a starting point to go see it. Why not the U of I? Back to you, Alex.

– Thanks for sharing how accessible the U of I makes education abroad, Sam. I love your story about your experience studying wildlife in the bush in South Africa and the perspective it gained you while you were there. Thanks again, Sam.