Close to 200 prospective abroad travelers swarmed the Ritchie Center at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb.17, loudly organizing into huddled lines according to their last name at the entrance to the seats of Magness Arena. Each student was handed a bright yellow envelope containing a luggage tag with their nomination destination for studying abroad in the 2017-2018 school year.
Envelopes in hand, the mass of outgoing students were then greeted on the floor of the arena by Denise Cope, Director of the Office of Internal Education (OIE), Carl Johnson, Executive Director of Campus Life and OIE assistants Jamie Short and Gladys Juarez.
Each prefaced the journey on which the students would soon embark with words of advice, this year’s photo contest winners and a raffled selfie stick.
“The idea behind the Reveal was to get everyone in the same room to create an energy and excitement among all participants,” said Communications and Outreach Program Manager Kathleen Horn.
Horn described further that many abroad alumni had expressed a desire to connect with prospective students, so, starting last year, the OIE “got together with Student Life to plan a celebration for both of the students that have studied abroad and students that soon will.” To facilitate this goal, over 100 study abroad returnees from the past year bordered the rim of the floor to answer the students’ directed questions of “What did you learn?” and “What should I know?”
Chloe King, a junior studying molecular biology from Erie, Colo. who recently returned from studying in Salzburg, Austria commented that “being back at the Global Reveal brought memories of last year when I was standing in the same place, overcome with anxiousness and excitement about what was contained in the envelope. It was incredibly fun reminiscing on our life-changing experiences abroad and being able to share that excitement with others.”
Austin Johnson, a sophomore studying biology from Rye, Colo., expressed his delight in finding out on Friday that he will be studying pre-med at the University of Glasgow in Scotland in the fall of 2017.
“I am excited to be exposed to different world viewpoints, whether they be on healthcare, government, or even just what to eat. I think it’s important to understand where other people and cultures are coming from so that we can all live in harmony.”
Among the many other students nominated was Tyler Mobley, a sophomore studying psychology from Aurora, Colo. who will be travelling to Bangor University in Wales in the fall. He conveyed his eager anticipation to become a global citizen.
“I’m really excited to get the opportunity to live in a whole different country and not just be on vacation,” said Mobley.
Furthermore, Greer Ozan a sophomore studying molecular biology from Meeker, Okla. who was nominated to study at DIS in Copenhagen, Denmark explained that she is “extremely excited about [her] program because it has so many cool trips and hands-on opportunities incorporated.”
While Friday only gifted the “stamp of approval from [the OIE] to allow the students to apply to their desired program,” as Horn explained, it is rare for a student to get nominated and then not be accepted into their desired program.
In the coming months, students will continue the process by accepting their nominations by applying directly to their specific universities and further preparing for their programs and an experience abroad.
