Intercultural Coffee Hour celebrated the campus’s diverse culture and educated those in attendance of UW-Superior’s Study Away programs, as well as our National Student Exchange program, on Nov. 15.
Anya Russom is the international programs manager at UWS and organized the event. “It was the first general open information session we’ve had this semester for people to learn about Study Away; I was really grateful for the turnout, and it was cool that my assistant Annabelle was able to come and share her experience. We’re glad to get people excited about Study Away,” said Russom.
Karen Valdez, an diversity and inclusion specialist at UWS, also attended the event. “Intercultural Coffee Hour raised awareness of our Study Away programs. We are here to educate people about the process, how to pay for things, what programs are available, and what eligibility requirements you must meet,” said Valdez.
Valdez said that one requirement to participate in Study Away, is to attend UWS for at least one year. “International students can also participate in Study Away. With the National Student Exchange program, you only have to be here one semester before you participate in that. GPA-wise, it’s roughly a 2.5 to be eligible, but if you aren’t quite there, you can work with Anya to see if you can work around that.”
Both Study Away and the National Student Exchange programs incentivizes students to receive their education while experiencing another part of the world. However, the National Student Exchange program has partnerships with universities across the United Staes.
“So if a domestic student wants to go and study at a different university, they can. Some students don’t like the cold, so they choose to study in Florida or Texas over the colder months. It’s a lot cheaper to do the National Student Exchange as you’re paying your UWS tuition. There’s over 300 schools we are partnered with that you can go to. Countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Ghana, Germany, and Costa Rica are available for students looking to study away,” Valdez said.
Annabelle Fries is a recent Study Away returnee who still attends UWS. Her choice for a place to study was Dalkeith, Scotland.
“It was an amazing experience; I was able to see and do so much that I have never had the opportunity to do before and probably never will again. I would be back on a plane in a heartbeat if I could; it was a memorable experience,” Fries said.
