News

02/06/2018 

Stephanie Carrier traveled to Perugia, Italy to learn about wine. She discovered the world.

“I gained a lot of self-confidence on my trip,” said Carrier, a senior communication studies major, about her transformational international experience. “I have a new perspective on the world and a greater appreciation for the experiences I had.”

Carrier, who used Perugia as a home base for travel to other countries whenever she had free time, encourages fellow students to learn more about studying abroad through SUNY Cortland. And she suggests that a good way to start learning about opportunities for international travel is to attend the College’s Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The fair, which is free and open to all college students, takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge.

Presented by the College’s International Programs, the event held each semester aims to encourage students to broaden their horizons, step out of their comfort zones and spend a semester in a different country learning about its people and culture.  

The Study Abroad Fair provides students with information on the more than 1,000 different study abroad locations around the world that are available via the SUNY system. In addition to traditional programs, the event also offers students a unique and valuable learning experience through internships, service-learning opportunities and faculty-led programs.

As part of her five-week Culture of Wine course, Carrier learned about the history of wine and how it is made. She also learned how to cook Italian food.

“All while gaining life-changing experiences and seeing different parts of the world,” she said.

Following her travels, Carrier interned with International Programs. She is one of many students who came back from studying abroad and shared their international experiences on campus by visiting different classes and presenting to students and the teachers of their class.

“I gave numerous classroom presentations on my experience abroad and went over the process of deciding the right program for students to choose,” Carrier said. “The internship challenged me to collaborate with the other interns and come up with valuable ways to promote studying abroad to students.”

For students who want to study abroad but worry about cost, International Programs offers many different scholarships for eligible students, said Hugh Anderson, senior study abroad advisor. At the fair, students also can enter to win the $500 travel award raffle, which offers students a chance to win one of two exclusive travel awards that can be used toward any SUNY study abroad program.

For more information about the fair, visit cortland.edu/studyabroad, email studyabroad@cortland.edu, call 607-753-2209, or stop in to Old Main Room 219. Individuals may connect with International Programs via social media through SUNY Cortland Study Abroad on Facebook, @CortlandStudyAb on Twitter, Cortlandstudyabroad on Instagram, or Cstate.abroad on Snapchat.

“I definitely recommend students who are interested in studying abroad attend the fair and learn more about Cortland’s programs and other SUNY programs,” Carrier said.

Prepared by Communications Office writing intern Hannah Bistocchi