Study Abroad Fair displays opportunities for students to explore global cultures

The USU Study Abroad Fair took place in the TSC lounge on Sept. 18 for any students to attend. This program gives students the opportunity to study abroad, with over 1,000 possibilities in over 85 countries. 

Students met with faculty leaders and representatives from a collection of third-party program providers like International Studies Abroad, International Student Exchange Program, Council on International Education Exchange, Study Abroad Italy, School for International Training and Semester at Sea at this event.  

Monika Galvydis is the director of study abroad at the Office of Global Engagement. 

“I’m a part of this program because when I went abroad, I felt like it opened the world to me. I felt like I could do anything,” Galvydis said. “I grew a lot personally, and I want other students to experience that.” 

According to the usu global engagement webpage, students can enrich their education by diving into a new culture, living life like a local and gaining valuable real-world experience by studying abroad. 

Galvydis said studying abroad helps students have experiences that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy in Logan. 

“We want students to study deeply in unique settings that they just can’t have on Logan Campus,” Galvydis said. “Studying the Mediterranean diet in Greece, studying engineering marvels across the world, studying museums in London and Paris, studying culture in Armenia. We want students to have those experiences that they can’t have here in Logan.” 

Mayu Mecham, a study abroad advisor, is a senior dual-majoring in international studies and sociology. 

“I have found that this was one of the most valuable experiences I have ever had,“ Mecham said. “This has added so much to my education and to my personal growth as well. I really want to help people also get to have those experiences.” 

Mecham said this program is not only great for academic growth, but personal growth as well. 

“It’s really encouraging our students to be engaged citizens of not just our state, or our country, but of our world. It is really encouraging people to get out of their comfort zones,” Mecham said. “It is really good for personal growth, and can enhance their experiences in education. It also puts them in situations where they can have more intercultural relationships and just be better because of that.” 

The program has opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.  

According to Galvydis, the members of this program care a lot about the students and do their best to give each person a good experience when studying abroad. 

“I think there’s a lot of people in the program that are personally looking out to make sure that people are having good experiences abroad,” Galvydis said. “We want to show students what the world has to offer, what they can bring to it and what their place is in the world.”  

Beth Fauth is a professor in human development and family studies at USU. She directs the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Research Center. 

“Having compared our programs to other universities, one of the great things is the flexibility that they give the faculty to build the course in a way that they think is important.” Fauth said. “We have had a ton of success in being able to change the course every year if a new opportunity comes up.” 

The programs vary in length, from 10 days long to a full academic or calendar year. Students can choose how long they want to go and don’t have to worry about having to stay longer than they want to.  

According to Mecham, studying abroad is attainable for any student, with scholarships and other opportunities available to them.  

“Study abroad is attainable. If you want to study abroad, even a little bit, don’t count yourself out. Come talk with us­­­ — we are super happy to get you there. There are so many scholarships and ways we can make that happen for you,” said Mecham. 

If a student is interested in studying abroad, they can visit the usu.edu global engagement page to set up an appointment with an advisor, search and apply for different study abroad programs or explore funding. They can also visit the Office of Global Engagement, located in the Military Science building room 115 at the USU Logan Campus.