The inaugural year of the St. Lawrence University Global Scholars program has arrived with a handful of first-year students now preparing to spend their second semester of university off campus.
Director of Off-Campus Programs Caitlin Hatz said that first-years students in the Global Scholars program can do a study abroad signature program for their second semester. “We did previously have a London first year program, and we found there to be really awesome outcomes,” Hatz said. “But sometimes we know it can be challenging to get a student integrated on campus if they weren’t here in the first semester.” Hatz said that going abroad the second semester solves that problem while still keeping the advantages and early study abroad experience.
The main advantages of the Global Scholars program are that students can fit in more international experiences before graduation. Going abroad earlier may also have an impact on their choice of major, minors or even career interests.
“Some of our London first year program students – I’ve seen them go abroad again,” Hatz said. “I’ve seen them add Peace Corps Prep Certificates. I’ve seen them study [foreign] language. I’ve seen them do research with faculty, because I think they did it so early on [that] they built the confidence to pursue more opportunities that might look challenging on the onset, but now they have the skills to sort of take them on.”
Hatz said that prospective students are first notified about the Global Scholars program when they apply to SLU. Then they can apply to the program before beginning their first semester so that they can attend the study abroad orientation meetings with the other non-first year students in their program cohort. The program options are currently limited to London, Kenya and Spain. However, Hatz hopes that the Center for International and Intercultural Studies can offer more locations in the future.
Hanson Associate Dean of International and Intercultural Studies, Dr. Matthew Carotenuto, was an important part of getting the Global Scholars program off the ground. “It’s our first time doing it, so we’re learning from it,” he said. “We’re hoping to kind of launch an expanded program next year for more students. So, we’re working closely with more programs.” Carotenuto hopes that CIIS can soon expand the program to include more students, perhaps adding a sophomore fall option, without limiting opportunities for any upperclassmen.
For Colby Goldston ’29, the Global Scholars program was the deciding factor in choosing SLU over other schools. “I applied to a lot of schools, and I really wasn’t considering St. Lawrence because of the distance,” he said. “I really wanted to study abroad, and a lot of schools didn’t work out. Then, out of nowhere, I got an email from St. Lawrence [University] saying, ‘Hey, apply to this program. You’ll be able to study abroad in your second semester of college.’ … It basically was the reason I came here.”
Goldston likes the option of studying abroad earlier because he wants to get outside his comfort zone. “I’m from Alabama, so I’m already quite out of my comfort zone,” he said. “So, I feel like living in London for a semester so early on in college, will really help me do better in college.”
Emily Schippert ’29 is doing the Global Scholars program to broaden her worldview without having to leave as much behind as she might if she went later. “I didn’t assume, I guess, that I wouldn’t have the closest relationships my freshman year, so it would be easier for me to go abroad and have that time and meet new people, while also not having to worry about severing connections here,” she said. When she was deciding where to go, Schippert said the Global Scholars program made her choice easier compared to other school’s options, where students go abroad for both semesters of their first year.
Annie Lee ’29 is the only first-year going to Spain this year. She says she wants to use the opportunity to supplement her academic interests. “I’m planning on majoring in International Economics and Spanish, and I’ve also been speaking Spanish for as long as I can remember. So, I really just want to solidify that and become fluent.” She’s also heard a lot of good things about Spain from other people who went there.
Aubrey Pickreign ’29 has never been outside of North America, so she said she is a little nervous to be on her own in a new country, especially so soon after starting college, but she is also excited. “[The U.K.] has always been, like, one of my top travel destinations, and I feel like also as an English major, it can be very useful in my studies,” she said. “I feel like it’ll be a totally new experience.”