learning abroad

For many University of Minnesota students, the move to distance learning in March was merely the first brush stroke COVID-19 would paint on their lives. As the pandemic showed no signs of abating, summer plans to study abroad or gain experience through internships were often postponed or scuttled.
 
Suddenly faced with open calendars, students had to look for other options. Here’s how three students found opportunity and insight in canceled plans.

After the COVID-19 pandemic ended study abroad opportunities in the spring and summer, the Learning Abroad Center quickly pivoted to launch an innovative virtual international internship program.

Chelsea Kline (Maternal and Child Health ’19) enrolled in the India: Global Health, Globalization, and Leadership course, traveling to Mysore, India to study the health care delivery system in India, the significance of the social determinants of health in a globalized world, and the skills needed to be a leader in the global space.

U of M students studying public health in India returned home shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic exploded. What they found there underscores the importance of public health efforts, and how hard this pandemic will hit the poorest in the world.

Established in 2014, the Chinese Flagship Program prepares UMN students to be global professionals fluent in Chinese language and culture. Now, the renewal of the Chinese Flagship Grant will take Chinese language and culture instruction and immersion even further.

Rahila Coats, a senior in the BFA dance program, traveled to Jerusalem and Accra, Ghana, as part of her studies.

Three University of Minnesota students have been selected by the National Security Education Program as winners of competitive Boren Awards to support the study of languages and cultures critical to U.S. interests.

Four University of Minnesota Morris students will present their research at the 70th Annual Irish History Students' Association (IHSA) conference in Dublin, Ireland, next month.

Catlyn Christie chose the MSID Thailand program for her international experience. For the first six weeks, she attended classes taught by Thai professors and went on field trips to various organizations and NGOs devoted to environmental sustainability, public health, and social services. The second half of the program involved an internship in a rural agricultural village.

Sixteen students from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs traveled to major cities in China and India in January to explore the latest strategies to supply clean water, limit air pollution, and manage waste.