Name: Abby Wright ’25
Majors: Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
What advice would you give to a student undecided about going abroad? Be open to whatever lays in front of you, whether that be a new food, new experience, new friend. Pack lightly. Call your parents, your friends, your family, anyone you love once a week. Don’t feel pressured to keep a detailed journal every single day. Make a shared photo album. Bring a few comfort snacks for the first few weeks. Budget wisely! And just love every single minute, even the tram delays, cold walks, unfamiliar food, etc.
Contact: awrigh17@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, LGBTQ+, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Sofia DaCruz ’25
Majors: Selected Studies in Education and Citizenship and Civic Engagement
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? My most unforgettable experience abroad was in Berlin when we spent a day visiting different monuments and memorials. We visited the Memorial to the Six Million Murdered Jews of Europe, the Memorial to the Murdered Homosexuals in the Holocaust, and a Soviet war memorial among many others. As we discussed each memorial I learned from my peers’ perspectives and drew on the history we had previously learned through the program. It was on this day that I began to feel the program themes of memory, identity, and history come together. I appreciated the way our professors allowed us to openly discuss our perspectives and guided us based on each of our interests.
Contact: srdacruz@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Financing study away, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Anna Meehan ’26
Majors: International Relations; Russian Literature, Language and Culture; Minor: Music Performance
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? I will never forget the experience I shared with my peers at Auschwitz and Treblinka. Although I had studied these locations in depth for years ahead of my arrival in Poland, I realized that nothing can replace the emotional experience of confronting these spaces, and therefore history, physically. When visiting, I felt closer to the victims who suffered at these locations, and learned details that would not be available nor equally appreciated outside the confines of the camps. The experience also opened up a larger conversation after the site visits, in which we discussed how the Holocaust is perceived around the world, the ethics of maintaining tours and potential commodification of concentration camps in the 21st century, and how individuals should act when visiting sacred spaces of mass atrocities.
Contact: aemeehan@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, First time abroad, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Charlotte Goodman ’25
Majors: Anthropology and Ethics
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? One of my most unforgettable experiences was visiting Auschwitz at the beginning of the semester. It was somewhere I had always dreamed about visiting, partially to memorialize my family, and immerse myself further into the history of Poland. I had considered myself to be really educated on WW2 prior to the trip, but after being on the grounds of atrocity it made me really comprehend and better understand the volume of the horrid events that happened there. It was also unforgettable because I felt like I was working as a representation as my family who won’t be able to make it to Auschwitz one day to honor our murdered ancestors. Walking on those grounds made me feel more connected to my Jewish community and reminded me why Jewish pride and resilience is so important in my life. It was an experience that will never leave me.
Contact: crgoodma@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Health, safety, and support, Meeting locals, Preparing for departure, Religious life, Selecting a program option
Name: Kennedy Snyder ’25
Majors: International Relations and Political Science
Semester abroad: Fall 2023
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? We traveled throughout Eastern/Central Europe visiting memorials and monuments and learning about the history of the region and how it has impacted the culture and the policies. Visiting Auschwitz and Treblinka was an incredibly difficult experience but I think it was an incredibly important one. I think it has made me a better human and a better student in my area of studies.
Contact: kasnyd06@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family, Adjusting to a foreign language, Cultural Immersion, Culture shock / Homesickness, Fitting study abroad into your home campus experience, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Winter Cameron ’27
Majors: Economics, Political Philosophy
Semester abroad: Fall 2024
What was your most unforgettable experience abroad? The most valuable experience is the travel seminars around Central Europe. Beyond giving context to the historical and cultural lessons our classes would teach us, we’d get to explore a city both with the guidance of experts and then we’d get to explore these places by ourselves. It makes for an unforgettable experience where we get to see what most people who travel to these places don’t.
Contact: wvcamero@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, LGBTQ+, Selecting a program option
Name: Susanna Kauth ’26
Majors: International Relations and Women’s Gender Studies
Semester abroad: Fall 2024
What would you say to a student undecided about going abroad? Going abroad to Poland is economically smart and allows you to expand your knowledge in ways other places can’t.
Contact: sekauth@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, Preparing for departure, Selecting a program option
Name: Emma Poper ’26
Majors: Broadcast & Digital Journalism
Semester abroad: Fall 2024
What was your most valuable experience abroad? My most unforgettable and valuable experience while traveling with the Exploring Central Europe Program was our trip to Auschwitz. To say our trip to Auschwitz was life-changing is a gross understatement; Auschwitz has changed my perspective on life and how I show empathy to others. While there we went on a 6-hour tour with the most informed and professional tour guide. This comprehensive tour explained why visiting Auschwitz matters now. Everyone should visit and experience this site at one point in their lives. I am so grateful to say that I was able to visit this place while studying abroad at Syracuse. Auschwitz never leaves my mind and informs every decision I make in my life; remembering the place where so many suffered reminds me exactly why I study history and how valuable it is to treat people with kindness and respect.
Contact: empoper@syr.edu
Topics I’m comfortable discussing: Staying in touch with friends & family