Globetrotting Mocs

For these students, the world is their classroom.

From Kenya to Sweden. From Thailand to Spain, Mocs are studying all over the world.

UTC’s Center for Global Education regularly publishes student-written blogs about their travels. Check them out below:

A summer in Spain

Emily Gaylor spent four weeks studying in Alcala de Henares, Spain. When she wasn’t in the classroom, Gaylor was train hopping to cities throughout Europe.

“Studying abroad in Spain was the best decision I ever made.” Gaylor says, “It truly was a trip of a lifetime!”

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Redefining

Opeletia Helton joined a group of faculty and students from UTC’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business and Honors College on a recent trip to Kenya. Helton worked with a local entrepreneur and got to visit the U.S. Embassy, the United Nations, an elephant orphanage and go on a safari, among other experiences.

“It was scary, but also refreshing to see that there was another world out there,” Helton says. “Immersive experiences such as study abroad are vital for self-discovery, critical thinking and skill enhancement.”

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The secret life of Cole Hickman

Cole Hickman spent a semester studying in Kalmar, Sweden through a program with the University Studies Abroad Consortium. He spent weekends traveling through Europe and afternoons enjoying fikas (Swedish coffee break), cycling and more in the coastal town.

“I’ve met some of the most amazing and incredible people while abroad. Friends for life without a doubt,” Hickman says. “So be warned, this makes leaving very hard. But don’t think that this makes it not worth it. If anything the strength of friendships brings you back together and pushes you to far greater adventures and feelings than you ever thought were possible.”

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Interning abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nursing student MacKenzie Lefler worked in a local clinic in Chiang Mai, Thailand through CIS Abroad. From traveling to patient homes for wellness visits to assisting with medical procedures, she got first-hand experience with Thai culture and healthcare system. While in Thailand, she visited an elephant sanctuary, learned new cooking skills from the locals and frequented the city’s bustling Sunday night market.

“I can genuinely say that my time in Thailand was filled with discovery and growth.” Lefler says, “Though immersing myself in a foreign country was a daunting task, the experiences I had and the people I met made me feel at ease.”

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Visit blog.utc.edu/center-global-education for more stories about student experiences abroad.