Welcome home Texas Zetas!
We hope you are as excited to hear about our Zeta sisters and their experiences studying abroad as we are! Check out all of the amazing opportunities and exploring they did this summer in their responses below.
Rachel Miller- PC'12
Alumni Relations Director
Why did you decide to study abroad?
Spending a summer in Paris has been a dream of mine since my first French class in 2007 but I would have never anticipated how incredible of an experience Studying Abroad would be. This summer I spent 9 weeks studying abroad in Paris! The program I chose was CIEE Paris Summer Language and Culture, and I chose this specific program because it allowed me to finish my Minor in French!
What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
I also opted to live with a host family because I really wanted to immerse myself with the French culture. While most people have a scared reaction about living with a host family, I had a great experience! While neither of the parents spoke English it was a fun challenge to truly have to learn to communicate with them. While in Paris I took cooking classes, tried escargot, went to the French Open, visited vineyards, chateaus and much more! During my 9 weeks I also was fortunate enough to be able to travel all around France and to Munich and even Barcelona! It was so much fun getting to travel and meet up with my other friends studying abroad in different cities! I highly encourage everyone to study abroad and truly immerse themselves in another culture!
Jeana Thompson- PC'13
I decided to go abroad because I feel like experiences like that truly shape a person. Experiencing different parts of the world expands ones perspective in amazing ways. There are some things you learn abroad that you can't learn anywhere else. EVERYONE needs to study abroad at some point in their lives! With that in mind, I traveled all the way to Hong Kong.
What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
My favorite memory was the view from the top of the Great Wall of China. After hours of intense quad burning and sweat, the view absolutely took my breath away. There is nothing like it in America and to be able to see something so beautiful was truly amazing. It created a new-found appreciation in me for the beauty of other countries and for the history behind them.
Jackie Waterland-PC'11
Treasurer
It has always been my dream to travel and immerse myself into different cultures. I decided to go abroad this summer when I found out the McCombs School of Business offered the opportunity to take an internship while also getting to live in the exciting city of Barcelona. I couldn't believe how perfect it was!
What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?My favorite memory was when I visited a friend in Scotland to attend a music festival called T in the Park. I've been to a few festivals but I had never experienced anything like this. The grounds were huge and over 85,000 people attended each day. I got to see headliners like the Artic Monkeys and discovered a new favorite band, Rudimental. But what I enjoyed most about my time there was how incredibly friendly the Scottish were. From the moment I arrived at the airport every single person I talked to was open and genuinely kind. It left such a last impression. I can't wait to go back!
Maddy McGlamery- PC'11
Judicial Director
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| Maddy (left) and her little Lauren Sanders (right) |
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I had decided to go abroad long before I actually went. It had been a dream of mine since high school and the opportunity finally presented itself the summer before my senior year! I chose to go abroad because I have a desire to see everything there is to see out there. I wanted to expand my worldview because sometimes we forget that although our sorority and friends are a big part of our lives, they hold only a very small place in a really big world. I wanted to go abroad to put that in perspective for myself and push myself out of the comfort zone of home. I also believe that learning about other cultures and gaining respect for the ways they differ from our own is a worthwhile endeavor and that in doing so, there is a lot to be learned from those cultures. And that’s not even to mention how many cool people you meet when you’re abroad!
What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
A favorite memory of mine from my summer abroad comes from the times I spent sitting with good friends on the Seine River in a spot overlooking the Notre Dame cathedral at sunset. We visited this spot frequently during the time we studied in Paris and enjoyed quite a few bottles of wine (we are all of age!) as well as a multitude of card games and good conversations there. Once, some French guys our age came along and asked to join our card game. We obliged and they sat and taught us some fun phrases in French as we played and chatted. Although that location on the Seine River was prime and the view was spectacular, the time I spent with those friends there taught me the lesson that who you are traveling with is much more important that the destination to which you are traveling – both in travel and in life.
Why did you decide to study abroad?
When brainstorming what I wanted to do over the summer, I knew I wanted to earn course credit or gain journalism experience through work samples. My journalism professor, Dr. Kris Wilson, encouraged me to apply to his journalism maymester study abroad class to earn both course credit and work samples. I am an aspiring world traveler, so it did not take long for me to apply and commit.
The UT Journalism class was called Reporting on our Changing Environment in one of the most exotic, isolated, and ecologically diverse places on Earth: Australia. This class operated as an intensive reporting and writing class with the goal of producing content across all media platforms. Armed with digital cameras, audio recorders, computers and notepads in the company of scientific experts and field guides, I understood the concepts of scientific certainty and uncertainty, the science of climate change and effectively communicating that science, and the elements and structures to good science/ environment storytelling.
Check out my Australian work samples at www.rachelrobillard.com
I knew I had to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef while in Australia. It's silly not to! That's the reason why I earned my scuba diving license in Australia. Experiencing the world down under (literally) was the most breathtaking thing I've ever done. Off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef around Lady Elliot Island, I saw mantarays, sea turtles and even a black tip reef shark! Documenting the underwater wildlife with my GoPro was the beautiful. The mantarays came so close to my diving group, that I was able to distinguish the species. My diving instructor taught us that there are three types of mantarays, which I did not know beforehand. I am so, very glad I got my scuba diving license to experience the Great Barrier Reef and the world down under.
If you would like to learn more about my experience abroad in Australia, visit my personal blog: http://australiawithrachrobes.blogspot.com.
Kelsey McGlamery-PC'13
Assistant Treasurer
I was blessed this summer with the opportunity to study abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. I decided to study abroad because I knew I wanted to get credits this summer, so why not do it while enjoying another country?! It was also a great chance to step outside of my comfort zone and to meet cute Scottish boys!What were some of your favorite parts about your experience studying abroad?
My favorite memory was when I took an hour train ride to a near by town to go bungee jumping with guys I had met from my program. I was abnormally excited for bungee jumping... until I was up on a platform standing 150 feet over a river. Despite my fears, we all ended up loving it and it was truly an experience of a lifetime. The friends I made abroad made the experience remarkable and I would highly recommend studying abroad if given the opportunity!
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