The University of Wisconsin held its annual Study Abroad Fair today in the Gordon Dining & Event Center. The goal of this event is to educate students on the study abroad planning process, explore opportunities, speak with students who have returned from abroad and discover various funding options.
The study abroad fair allows for equal opportunity for all students to be involved in international programs through the university’s Identity Resources program. The fair includes multiple student lounges for students to connect and find necessary resources.
These diversity lounges include students with a disability abroad, students of color abroad, religious, spiritual and nonreligious identified students abroad, military-connected students abroad, LGBTQ+ students abroad and first-time travelers.
“We definitely want students of all backgrounds to be able to feel confident going abroad, and I feel like a lot of that is knowing that you’re not the only one and you’re not the first,” Study Abroad Advisor with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Rebecca Johnson said.
The lounges also allow for intersectionality and acknowledge students carry multiple identities.
Every person has a distinct identity, and every student’s international experience is different, according to Johnson. It’s helpful to think ahead of time about how your experience might be different from others and how to emotionally and physically prepare to ensure you’re comfortable studying abroad, Johnson said.
While abroad, Johnson said students are given support resources, including the study abroad staff at UW and international support staff abroad.
“Our study abroad staff is always here, so we’re here to support students before, during their time abroad, and when they come back,” Johnson said. “We always recommend talking to your program staff because they are there with you and might be able to solve the problem immediately, but we are always here for students if they ever need something.”
UW is also an institutional member of the Diversity Abroad Network, the first organization entirely dedicated to prioritizing diversity and inclusion in international education programs.
Students who have been abroad report minimal to no issues with inclusivity while away, but they recall being warned of the potential discrimination they may face in foreign countries, Sydney Kurszewski, UW student from the Russian Flagship program who studied in Kazakhstan said.
“We have students from lots of different ethnic backgrounds, and they were open about potential difficulties that could be faced by people while we were doing Study Abroad training,” Kurszewski said.
Studying abroad is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture and be exposed to experiences you wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to have, according to Kurszewski.
“I’d never even considered it [Kazakhstan] before the program, but it was fascinating getting to go to a country that’s really old, and also, not a lot of Americans talk about it,” Kurszewski said. “The people there were so nice, the food was delicious and the city just felt safe and modern.”
