Originally from New York, Solywoda joins Syracuse London after more than twenty years of studying and working at Oxford University. For the past eight years, she has served as director of Stanford University’s Montag Centre for Overseas Study at Oxford. As director, Solywoda was responsible for all operations of the Montag Centre, as well as local partnerships, staff/faculty leadership and program development, notably in the increase of science, technology, engineering and mathematics offerings.
Solywoda takes over the London program’s leadership from Troy Gordon, who, after ten years as director, moves into his new role of director of global teaching and learning, working across all Syracuse Abroad centers.
Studying abroad is a unique academic experience that isn’t just limited to undergraduates. Syracuse Abroad offers a wide range of short-term and longer-length programs that often can be worked into even the most high-intensity graduate school schedule.
This fall, Syracuse Abroad welcomes all Syracuse University students to explore study abroad options for 2025 and beyond during this year’s Syracuse Abroad Week.
Syracuse Abroad Week, Sept. 16-20: Students, partners, faculty and staff are invited to join virtual events to learn more about study abroad programs. Throughout the week, Syracuse Abroad staff will host information sessions on Zoom discussing program options, financing study abroad, internship opportunities and more. To register for information sessions, visit the schedule of Syracuse Abroad Week events.
Syracuse Abroad on the Quad, Sept. 18: Students, campus partners and faculty are invited to visit
Syracuse Abroad staff members Kelsey Hanbach, left, and Sarah Tomlinson speak with a student during the Syracuse Abroad on the Quad event in 2023 (photo by Angela Ryan)
the Syracuse Abroad tent on the Shaw Quad from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn about options for semester and summer international study. In the event of rain, the event will be held in Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center.
Hi! My name is Sally Jewell and I studied abroad in Santiago, Chile my junior year in the Spring semester of 2024. I am majoring in International Relations and Political Science, so the Santiago program was a perfect match for me as many of the course options had a political science background. One of the biggest differences between the semester I went abroad and previous Santiago cohorts is that our classes were in English but we were placed in home stays with a Chilean family so we were able to practice our Spanish with the host family.
One of the most positive aspects of this type of study abroad experience is that you are able to focus less on the language barrier in a classroom setting and are able to put more focus on the content you are learning about. Within the classes I took, I gained so much knowledge on Chilean politics, history, and culture. Additionally, you are able to learn within a classroom of people who are studying abroad just like you so you are able to help each other out with navigating a new city and country.
Something that I wished I had known before studying abroad is how helpful everyone is, especially our program directors. Everyone that is a part of the program wants to see you succeed, this includes professors, program directors, and host families. My host family was incredibly supportive and helpful throughout my semester abroad. I found it very helpful to live with someone from the area so they could give me recommendations and advice for how to navigate through this new place. I was very nervous meeting my host family, but the reality of meeting them made me realize that they enjoy this experience. They want to help you around the city and help you learn about a different city and culture; you are not a burden to them and it can be very fun and interesting for both you and your host family to talk about their culture as well as American culture and the similarities and differences between the two.
Studying abroad has taught me that there are a lot more places that I want to travel to outside of the United States. Going abroad can feel very daunting especially if you do not speak the language of the country you want to visit. However, having navigated through Santiago by myself and learning how to understand a different country and culture, I am now more confident in myself to be able to conduct myself abroad in other countries. With all the greenery in Chile, I have found that I love to be in nature and experience the beauty of the world, which is something I do not get to do in my everyday life. This has made me want to explore more areas of natural greenery and see all different sides of the world.
Additionally, studying abroad has made me think more critically about what I want to do post-college. I never really had a set plan as to what I wanted to do in the future, however being abroad made me realize that I have time to figure out what I want to do. I do not have to rush to find my passion or what I want to do with my life. I am allowed to explore unknown places and witness and experience things I would never be able to experience in the United States.
Lastly, I chose this specific program because one of my concentrations for my major is the Americas so I thought Chile would be an interesting place to go further in depth into that topic. I did not just want to be a tourist going around a city and visiting other tourist destinations close to me. I wanted to learn about the culture, history, and customs of the country I was going to. When looking at all the abroad programs together, I found that the Santiago program was one that seemed to prioritize immersing yourself in the culture and learning about the history of the country, which is exactly what I wanted. I am very happy with my decision to go abroad to Santiago, Chile and I know I have gained knowledge and experiences that will help me in the future and I will remember for the rest of my life.
The Syracuse Abroad computer science program in London is designed for the fall semester of a student’s junior year.
“Getting a chance to see what it is like to live here on a day-to-day basis and see people working has made me think about it in the future,” says Amofah-Boafo.
“It is an opportunity that will change your life, how you look at the world and it is invaluable,” said Mosca.
Students enrolled at Syracuse Strasbourg are getting a rare glimpse of the Olympics, given their proximity to Paris. Recent highlights include the Olympic Torch Relay, which came to Strasbourg on June 26.
Jacob Grindstaff-Espinal ’24 grew up in Miami speaking English and Spanish. Despite his bilingual childhood, he never imagined he would one day take a French history class—or a class taught in the French language—while studying abroad in Strasbourg, France.
“Strasbourg is a diplomatic city and the perfect place for an internship,” Grindstaff-Espinal says. “I dream of going into government consulting or international development. My internship with the Council of Europe helped me figure out if this is the right career for me.”
Students can now begin applying for spring 2025 study abroad programs through Syracuse Abroad. With over 60 program options in dozens of countries around the world, there is a study abroad opportunity for each and every Syracuse University student.
In alignment with the Academic Strategic Plan, Syracuse University is committed to encouraging and enabling every undergraduate student the opportunity to participate in a study abroad or study away experience before they graduate.
For Whitman School of Management student Talia St. Angelo, one of the highlights of her study abroad experience in Madrid, Spain was a marine ecology course focused on the biodiversity, conservation and communities of the Mediterranean coast.
Fourteen Syracuse University students and alumni have been named as 2024 recipients of awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Five students were also chosen as alternates. This is the largest number of U.S. Student Fulbright recipients that Syracuse University has had in one year.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program funds a range of awards that include English teaching assistantships (ETA) and study/research grants in over 140 countries.
Three current/former Global Ambassadors and five program alumni were selected:
Olivia Budelmann ’23 (mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the Whitman School of Management and Spanish language, literature and cultures in A&S), ETA, Andorra; Santiago Center, spring 2022 – Global Ambassador
Jaemon Crosby ’24, an acting major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), study award, United Kingdom—London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA, classical acting); London Center: Acting, fall 2022 – Global Ambassador
Lindsey Kernen ’23 (psychology in A&S and citizenship and civic engagement in the Maxwell School), study award, United Kingdom—University of Strathclyde; London Center, spring 2022
Yasmin Nayrouz ’24, an English and textual studies major in A&S, a public relations major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, study award, United Kingdom—University of Sussex; London Center, spring 2022
Alec Rovensky ’21 (School of Architecture), study award, Germany—Technische Universität Berlin; London & Florence Architecture, fall and spring 2019
Julianne Strauss ’23 (inclusive elementary and special education, School of Education) G’24 (literacy education), ETA, Spain; Madrid Center, spring 2022
Alternates:
Mary Matthews, a senior international relations major in the Maxwell School | A&S, ETA, Estonia; Discovery Strasbourg, fall 2021 and CEA CAPA Prague, fall 2023 – Global Ambassador
Liam Goff, a senior broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School, ETA, Germany; World Partner: Colgate Freiburg, spring 2023
