SDSU students gain global perspective through variety of education abroad options

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota State University.

Kailee Loofe’s first experiences as a South Dakota State University student happened an ocean away from Brookings.

“I have always been super interested in traveling abroad, so when I saw the opportunity to travel through the Jacks Start Abroad program for incoming freshmen, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she said.

Jacks Start Abroad is one of several opportunities for SDSU students to spend time abroad. This one involves groups of about 15 students who go with SDSU faculty to one of multiple countries.

Loofe chose an experience deliberately different from architecture, which she planned to study, and took an agriculture-focused trip to the Netherlands and Belgium.

“It was an amazing experience that not only provided me with opportunities while traveling but also set me up with a multitude of people on campus who are now my strongest support system since returning to Brookings,” she said.

“I also think that traveling abroad, getting to experience other cultures and discover new places, has taught me life skills that I could not have learned otherwise. Traveling abroad has also set me up to be an easily adaptable person, helped me gain some confidence in new environments and allowed me to become a more educated individual of the world around me.”

For Dallas Kelso, Jacks Start Abroad took her to New Zealand for a 12-day experience engaging with the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. Kelso, who works in the international affairs office at SDSU, helped with planning the trip and ensuring its focus on Indigenous culture was inclusive and respectful.

“Being Oglala Lakota has offered me a more remarkable ability to do so as I am able to relate to a majority of the aspects that make up many Indigenous cultures,” she said.

“The Maori have a wonderful Indigeneity that I’ve always wanted to experience, so I knew I just had to go. The culture is rich in art, oral storytelling, dance and history, making the Maori very similar to the Oceti Sakowin. I think it’s absolutely amazing that Indigenous peoples, despite being from very different parts of the world, can connect on a deeper level.”

The experience profoundly impacted her view, globally and closer to home.

“The Maori people I interacted with are actively involved in many activist movements that protect their homelands from the damage caused by tourism and colonization. It’s simply inspiring,” Kelso said.

“Their actions motivate me to continue in my own perseverance of overcoming the obstacles that colonization has cursed the Oceti Sakowin with. The Maori people reminded me that I am part of the solution. I do not have to wait for a hero to save my people. I can be my own hero as I continue my pursuit of justice.”

For Benjamin Connor’s first study abroad experience, he spent four months in Ireland at a small college twice as old as SDSU. The price was comparable to his tuition in Brookings minus the airfare, he said, and the experience was invaluable.

“I met friends from Germany, Italy, Ireland and the United States. I surfed on the cold, salty waves of Sligo. I bet on horses at Punchestown. I biked with my sister around the Dingle Peninsula. I ran through beautiful green grass in the middle of January. I drank Guinness with some of the best traditional Irish music bands in the world,” he said.

“The education abroad office gave me the easiest pathway to go abroad. They walked me through the entire process and made me feel safe on my first semester experience.”

 Then, he paid it forward. As a pandemic-impacted student, he didn’t go on a study abroad program as a freshman but has helped lead one twice for first-year students with help from faculty advisers.

“I wanted to mentor students in the first year. I struggled with the pandemic, and I decided to pay it forward by showing students how to travel abroad and succeed at SDSU,” he said.

“As a peer mentor, I saw students take on SDSU with more fervor and confidence than I did. Students were more willing to ask questions and participate in discussions. Students joined clubs across the seven undergraduate colleges. One student was even part of the first executive team of the Taylor Swift Society.”

After halting, then scaling back international experiencing during the pandemic, study abroad options have rebounded at SDSU. Whether it’s a freshman experience, a program during winter break or the summer, or a semester abroad, the opportunities to gain a global perspective are nearly limitless.

“We understand it’s a big deal for our students to get a passport and even consider leaving the state to go abroad, but our faculty members encourage them to think on a global level, and it’s such a valuable experience,” said Sally Gillman, director for study abroad.

“I tell people to prepare to meet your best friend abroad, and they’re shocked when they do. The relationships are awesome, and they develop them with people around the world. The perspective it brings drives the students’ brain development. They look at things differently. The confidence and independence surge.”

Before the pandemic, about 500 SDSU students went abroad each year. One in five in a graduating class would have had some type of international experience. After being forced to forego many of the trips, they’re now returning, and students increasingly are signing up.

“A lot of students are doing a two- or three-week shorter program rather than going for a semester or a year, and a lot of the work is taking place during breaks,” said Jon Stauff, assistant vice president for international affairs. “Within SDSU, we’ve developed about 20 programs, and we’re anticipating growth.”

The programs offer everything from internships in Spain to a collaborative look at agriculture in Vietnam and Cambodia led by plant and animal science faculty. The SDSU Concert Choir performs and has a cultural experience abroad each winter — this year, the concerts are in Norway and Sweden, and before the pandemic, the choir toured in Italy.

“We’ve had nurses learning in Sweden, pharmacy students all over Europe, and we have a health science program in Ghana where students have gone over with doctors from Sanford,” Stauff said.

“Going to college is an investment no matter where you’re learning, and we have to provide a good return. We need to structure programs in ways that promote development and learning. We can’t just send them overseas and hope they get it. At SDSU, we take that program development very seriously to make this a valuable learning experience.”

In addition to faculty-led programs, where SDSU students go with other SDSU students and faculty, there are approximately 1,200 opportunities worldwide for students who want to learn more independently abroad, Gillman said.

“While they will fly there alone, when they arrive there will be a cohort of students who have come from universities nationwide,” she said. “They might go to Florence, Italy, to study art history, or if they need an internship for their major, dairy science in Finland might be a very cool option. If you’re studying human development, you might do equine therapy in Ireland for a semester. And wherever they are in the world, there is someone — it might be my counterpart at another university — to help take care of them.”

Students need to approach the experience with a growth mindset, she added. And they will grow — developing everything from presentation skills to a broader perspective on their place in the world.

“Sometimes, they come back with a different level of gratitude — seeing their privilege in the United States is very different than other countries,” she said. “You come up with a new set of eyes and look at your life so differently.”

The students agreed.

For Kelso, who went to New Zealand, the genuine connections the program allowed her to build with the indigenous Maori people made a lasting impression.

“Dr. Gilman and the SDSU team always ensure that the students spend time with the real people who live in our study abroad destinations. I think that is what makes SDSU’s study abroad trips that much more influential on the students,” she said.

“Studying abroad is much more than learning facts about the country and sightseeing. Studying abroad is about connecting to the land, the culture and, most importantly, the people.”

For Loofe, who began her SDSU experience abroad, the trip set the stage for how she would grow her college career.

“My peer mentor has become a great friend who helps me with anything I could be struggling with and is someone I enjoy talking to outside of class,” she said. “The study abroad program has also done a great job of giving individuals who are interested in future travel opportunities the chance to remain connected. I have been a part of multiple events, including a study abroad fair, being a part of the Office of International Affairs float during SDSU’s homecoming parade and helping with other events the study abroad faculty members have planned.”

Her class of fellow travelers and the faculty she met on the trip quickly became a support system as she adjusted to new college life, she added.

“I cannot stress enough how important this opportunity has been in my life,” Loofe said. “Getting to experience a different culture and see new perspectives of life was so rewarding for me individually, and I can’t wait to see what future studying abroad experiences I will take part of in the future and the places I may travel with the SDSU program.”

To learn more about SDSU Education Abroad, click here.