The International Program at Washburn offers a wide-range of options for students who wish to study abroad, including direct exchanges with universities for semesters and academic years. The deadline for these applications is March 1.

In addition, the International Program offers multiple faculty-led options that allow students to explore a foreign countries with Washburn peers and instructors.

Last January, two Washburn student had the unique opportunity to travel with a faculty-led group.

“I think a lot of students don’t realize there is such a big world out there,” said senior criminal justice major Taylor Tummons. “We think it’s all about the U.S.”

Tummons joined a 10 day trip to multiple cities in Costa Rica where she and other Washburn students, mostly nursing majors, assisted a girl’s orphanage. During her time in Costa Rica, Tummons made a deep connection with those she was helping.

“It hits you hard when you’re there. Just a few days can impact your life so much.”

Also joining a faculty-led study abroad opportunity, senior nursing major Blaire Landon traveled to Japan over Winter Break. The purpose of the trip was to research the differences between American and Japanese healthcare systems, but the lessons Landon learned stemmed beyond healthcare.

“I got to experience Japan on a cultural level that I could never experience here,” said Landon.

Although knowing little Japanese before going to Japan, Landon learned to engage with the culture in a different way.

“We all have the same basic needs and wants,” said Landon. “We all do things similarly and have a lot of things in common despite our different cultures and languages.”

The International Program offers a variety of destinations for those who wish to study abroad and generously give scholarships and grants to students through the Washburn Transformational Experience and by private scholarship donors.

“On average, we give over $150,000 of scholarship money a year to students,” said study abroad coordinator Tina Williams. “We have some of the largest gifts of any program in the area.”

Multiple faculty-led programs are being offered for the summer, including trips to Barbados, Belgium, China, Japan and Spain. Direct exchanges that span from a semester to an academic-year will be offered in the fall.

“Going abroad is just another way to grow and to get out of your comfort zone,” said Landon. “We have a lot of international students on campus, so a good way to test the waters to see if studying abroad is for you is to get involved with them and experience their culture.”

The spring deadline for applications to study abroad is March 1. For more information, visit www.washburn.studioabroad.com.

Jena Dean, [email protected], is a senior mass media major.