Name: Isabella Jackson ’24
Major: Biology and Forensic Science
Semester Abroad: Spring 2022
Program: University of Queensland
What advice would you give to a student undecided about studying abroad? Figure out where you feel will suit you the most. Every place has different environments and culture. Do your research and talk to a lot of people about it. Get multiple opinions and then decide.
Contact: isjackso@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Financing study away, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Adele Bey-Smith ’24
Major: Business Analytics and Supply Chain Management
Semester Abroad: Fall 2022
Program: CEA CAPA Barcelona
What advice would you give a student studying abroad? Before you study abroad, know yourself, know your weaknesses and your strengths; we are at an age where we are constantly growing and changing and knowing ourselves is the best way to become the best version of who we are. When you are studying abroad, test your limits. For example, one of my big weaknesses is that I struggle opening up to others. For this reason, very little people know of my vulnerable side. I wanted to change this when I went abroad and during my first few days in Barcelona, I opened up to my new friends. Although it may have made me uncomfortable, I was able to unveil a new part of myself and explore this hidden side of me which I may have never shown in Syracuse.
Contact: ajbeysmi@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Selecting a program option, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Financing study away, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals
Name: Jeffrey Ng ’24
Major: Biotechnology
Semester Abroad: Fall 2022
Program: University College Dublin
What was your most valuable experience abroad? The most valuable/unforgettable experience would have to be meeting different people from all over the world as UCD has a fairly large population of international students (roughly 25% of the school is international). With this incorporated in my friend group, we had people from all over the world, Europe, Middle East, Asia and even South America travel with us and explore the country. We went all over and explored the landmarks, hiked in the mountains of Wicklow, Howth and the Cliffs of Moher. We explored the cities and learnt more about each other’s cultures and about the respective countries of where we were from.
Contact: jng102@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Race & Ethnicity, Selecting a program option
Name: Laura Kenneway ’25
Major: Forensic Psychology
Semester Abroad: Fall 2022
Program: University of Queensland
What would you say to a student undecided about studying abroad? I would say even if you are on the fence about doing it, please go for it. It may be scary leaving everything familiar behind but the experience you will take away is unbelievable. I was able to travel, meet new people, and learn new customs that I would have never known were out there if I did not jump on this amazing opportunity I had.
Contact: llkennew@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Jennie Bull ’24
Major: Marketing and Retail Management
Semester Abroad: Spring 2023
Program: Waseda University
What was your most valuable experience abroad? Exploring Japan has been so unforgettable- I knew very little about the culture before coming here and I have been completely opened up to a whole new world. I have learned so much, not just about Asia, but about myself. It is hard to think of one specific moment that has been unforgettable, when my journey in its entirety is something that I will remember forever.
Contact: jebull@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, First time abroad, Preparing for departure
Name: Fangyi Zheng ’24
Major: International Relations
Semester Abroad: Spring 2023
Program: Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
What was your most valuable experience abroad? Meeting fellow students from all across the U.S and the world, as well as learning more about Hong Kong culture.
Contact: fazheng@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Race & Ethnicity
Name: Jenna Muschong ’24
Major: Real Estate
Semester Abroad: Spring 2023
Program: FU-BEST Freie University Berlin
What was your most valuable experience abroad? Staying with a host family and getting to meet people from other schools in the US. Living in Berlin and commuting to campus every day allowed me to get a feel for the city that I wouldn’t have gotten if I was simply visiting for a weekend. I was also able to see great examples of public green spaces and transportation infrastructure in Berlin and all over Germany, which is relevant because I am interested in urban planning as a career.
Contact: jmuschon@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Culture shock / Homesickness, Disability resources, Financing study away, First time abroad, Living with a host family, Selecting a program option
Name: Carly Ward ’24 G’25
Major: Bioengineering, Environment and Society minor
Semester Abroad: Spring 2023
Program: University College Dublin
What would you say to a student undecided about studying abroad? I was incredibly nervous going to a new country where I knew no one in my program, but I was open and met some of best friends in Ireland. There will be more semesters at Syracuse, but going abroad is a once in a lifetime experience (for most people) that changed my life and gave me a new perspective on the world and college.
Contact: cward05@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Allergies & dietary needs, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, LGBTQ+, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Allie Sachar ’24
Major: Information Management Technology
Semester Abroad: Spring 2023
Program: CEA CAPA Barcelona
What was your more valuable experience abroad? The most valuable experience in Barcelona for me was being able to use Spanish and increase my skills in it. My mother is from Puerto Rico and is a native Spanish speaker, so knowing spanish is very important for me. Being Hispanic is a big part of my identity, so it was very valuable for me to be surrounded by people who share a similar culture as me. I was able to practice my Spanish and really get better at it. This not only allowed me to feel closer to my culture, but it allowed me to feel closer to my own mother.
Contact: asachar@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Allergies & dietary needs, Cultural Immersion, Financing study away, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Race & Ethnicity, Selecting a program option
Name: Tess Ayres ‘25
Major: Health and Exercise Science
Semester abroad: Spring 2023
Program: University of Sydney
What advice would you give to a student studying abroad? For the more serious stuff I would advise them to find times, days, and specific locations to commit to studying. It can be hard to balance it all while abroad and your studies should be the most important thing, it’s why you are there. I would advise students who are going abroad to reach out to other SU students, if possible, who are doing the same program ahead of time. I did this and although my main friends abroad were not SU students for the most part, having reached out to them ahead of time enabled me to quickly find people to explore the new city with.
Contact: toayres@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, First time abroad, Health, safety, and support, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Janna Vanvranken ‘25
Major: Television, Radio and Film; Mindfulness and Contemplative studies minor
Semester abroad: Spring 2023
Program: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
What was your most memorable experience abroad? Learning in a Dutch classroom, it was a totally different setting and way of learning. Dutch are very life>work compared to America which was a hard adjustment for me. The classrooms were much more personal and required you to be present and active.
Contact: jlvanvra@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, LGBTQ+, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Brady Arruda ’25
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
Program: University of New South Wales
What would you say to a student undecided about going abroad? College is the perfect time to throw yourself into the unknown and explore another country/region of the world while continuing towards your academic goals. You’ll never know what’s out there until you go find out for yourself. Your world view will be vastly expanded.
Contact: bjarruda@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Selecting a program option, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure
Name: Aissata Diallo ’24
Major: International Relations
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
Program: SIT South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? My most unforgettable experience about South Africa is the relationships that I made. I went to Cape Town, South Africa with eleven strangers and formulated amazing and unique connections with each one. My program also involved living with four different host families. I enjoyed this experience because I was able to gain firsthand experience about different cultures by living with these different families. In this experience, I learned from these families while they also learned from me. This experience helped me get out of my comfort zone and grow as an individual.
Contact: adiall01@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Selecting a program option, Allergies & dietary needs, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Living with a host family, Race & Ethnicity
Name: Katie Eveleth ’24
Major: Architecture
Semester abroad: Fall 2022 & 2023
Program: Kansai Gaidai University & London Center
What advice would you give a student studying abroad? My advice would be to learn a little of the language, if the abroad country doesn’t use English as the primary language. I would recommend learning the ‘alphabet’ and a few key phrases at minimum! Also this might be a strange answer but I would suggest eating Mexican food before going abroad! In America, eating Mexican food is very popular and many students/families do taco Tuesday. In both my abroad experiences in Asia and in Europe, there weren’t many Mexican restaurants.
Contact: kkevelet@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Allergies & dietary needs, Cultural Immersion, Financing study away, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Evelyn Kelley ’25
Major: Television, Radio, and Film
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
Program: DIS Copenhagen
What was your best experience abroad? My most valuable experience in Copenhagen was growing comfortable with public transportation and biking. Growing up in a small, suburban town far from a city, I had absolutely no experience with public transportation. I knew how to bike but had never used it as a mode of transport for everyday activities. At first, navigating busses and metro systems was daunting and overwhelming, but I knew it was the most efficient way to get around, so before I knew it, it was second-nature to use public transportation.
Contact: ehkelley@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Meghan O’Connor ’25
Major: International Relations & Middle Eastern Studies
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
Program: AMIDEAST Area & Arabic Language Studies (Amman, Jordan)
What was your best experience abroad? As an IR and Middle Eastern Studies major, experiencing Middle Eastern culture in person and having an immersive experience was not only ciritical for my understanding of previous courses taken at SU, but also for my view on the world as a whole.
Contact: mroconno@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Living with a host family, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Sophia Znamierowski ’25
Major: Biology/Neuroscience
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
Program: DIS Copenhagen
What advice would you give to a student studying abroad? Go in with an open mind. You are about to meet so many people and experience a culture so different from everything you are used to, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of sticking to the friends you came with or trying to plan a weekend trip every chance you get. I will say, take advantage of how easy it is to travel to other countries and seek new experiences, but don’t neglect the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in your home country. There were some weekends I had the option to travel but I decided to stay in Copenhagen to experience it more as a resident – this may be one of the only lives you get to live in another country, rather than just as a tourist. Respect the cultural norms and try your best to participate in them, especially if it means biking to class – this was one of my favorite parts of studying in Denmark. Try to learn some of the language!
Contact: smznamie@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Allergies & dietary needs, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Daniel Capelli ‘24
Major: Information Management and Technology
Semester abroad: Spring 2023
Program: DIS Copenhagen
What advice would you give to a student studying abroad? For a student going abroad, I would give three pieces of advice. The first is to challenge yourself often. It can be easy to become comfortable after the initial shock of arriving in your host country, but it is extremely rewarding to constantly be pushing yourself with new challenges. The second piece of advice I would give is to remember your time abroad. The lessons you will learn while abroad will stay with you for your entire life, provided that you take the time to remember them. Whether through pictures, videos, music, or writing, do everything you can to remember your time abroad before it inevitably comes to a close. The third and final piece of advice is the most important of all. More importantly than challenging yourself or remembering your time abroad, it is imperative that you look after yourself. Your health is the most important thing to maintain while under such different circumstances. Every now and then it is worth it to stop, take a breath, and remind yourself that going abroad is for your own benefit. Your personal health should be your top priority.
Contact: dpcapell@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Allergies & dietary needs, Culture shock / Homesickness, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Health, safety, and support, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option