Study-abroad program ‘dream-come-true’ for ASU students

ALBANY — Albany State University students are going global this summer through study-abroad opportunities offered by the ASU Office of Global Programs.

ASU students will encounter rich, international experiences in the world’s most vibrant countries. Throughout the semester, students and faculty members will blog about their travel experiences.

In the first of a series of blog posts about travels to Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Japan, Albany State Associate Professor of Social Work Irma Gibson — who is leading the Trinidad and Tobago experience — talked about the “life-changing journey” of the 31 students participating in the study-abroad program.

“After months of planning, mountain-high and valley-low experiences, financial woes and other seen and unseen barriers, they made it!” Gibson wrote of the five ASU students taking part in the Trinidad and Tobago experience. “For at least three (of the students), the flight across the Atlantic was their first time experiencing an airplane ride.

“For all of (the students), they are fulfilling a dream come true and realizing their potential to conquer their fears and doubts, personally, professionally and socially.”

The Belize study-abroad program is led by Kathaleena Edward Monds, professor of information systems in the College of Business and co-director of the Center for Economic Education/Small and Minority Entrepreneurship. The Japan travel experience is led by Mimi Noda, associate professor of piano and Japanese language instructor in the College of Arts and Humanities.

“While visiting various places yesterday, I assigned Vincent (McPherson, who is taking part in the Japan study-abroad experience) to ask for directions to the places, although I already knew which way I needed to go,” Noda wrote on the ASU blog. “I told Vincent a questioning phrase in Japanese. After the memorized the Japanese phrases very quickly, he found someone and asked him/her the question.

“Because his Japanese pronunciation was very good, the people he asked spoke back to him fluently. But Vincent understood what they answered from their body languages. … This gave Vincent the opportunity to learn Japanese phrases in live situations.”

ASU student Dewayne Gurley, who with fellow undergrad student Sheba Jackson is participating in the Belize travel-study opportunity, admitted to being somewhat overwhelmed by the experience.

“If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be traveling abroad to Belize, Central America … We’re talking about a small-town teenager who has never been as far as Atlanta and Tallahassee, Florida,” Gurley wrote. “It’s something about growing up in a small town that hinders the mindset of many people to broaden their horizon.”

Wrote Jackson, who also found herself amazed at the opportunity: “I have never been outside the country and have never traveled on a plane. I am a bit nervous, but my expectation for traveling is to hopefully arrive safe to all destinations.”

Global service learning experiences, cultural lectures by partner university professors, and a variety of tours, social outings and excursions are integrated into the curriculum to ensure students’ academic success.

Go to asurams.edu to read future blog posts and keep up with the students’ and professors’ experiences.