Global understanding events continue to shine
(Photo by T. Johnson)
Delaware Tech Business Management major Randy Miller presents his Scotland flag that he will be presenting at the Global Understanding: Postcards from Scotland & Australia event at the Owens Campus Theater on Sept. 29.
By Tracy Johnson
Students filled the Arts & Science Theater at Delaware Technical Community College, Owens Campus, for the Global Understanding: Postcards from Scotland and Australia event on Sept. 29.
International Coordinator and Educational Lab Specialist Amy Russell, who coordinates the Global Understanding series and Study Abroad programs, has been working at Owens Campus for 10 years.
Russell said she loved studying abroad when she was at University of Delaware, and spent a semester in Costa Rica. Then at Delaware Tech, Russell discovered the study abroad program and went abroad to five countries in five years.
“I like that we’re teaching people to have the confidence and skills that if you want to go to Paris, you can plan that trip and go to Paris,” she said.
Russell said the students who went to Scotland and Australia were enthusiastic because Scotland was business-oriented and Australia was about service learning.
She added that both the programs were different and since a lot of people attended, an event was created to learn more about why the students wanted to study abroad. “We wanted to give those students a chance to give back and share what they learned,” she said.
Russell said some students may want to study abroad to Australia or Scotland because they want to learn more about their major. “You’re a business major and you want to learn about how businesses and entrepreneurship works over there, or maybe you’re interested in service learning and helping other people,” she added. “You want to go to a place that’s very different than what you’re used to, and you want a completely new experience and want to make a difference in the world.”
Russell said students and staff can learn about the Global Understanding Series by attending to an event, reading fliers displayed at the school, and asking those who’ve traveled. “If you ask around, you may know more people than you think who’ve been abroad,” she added.
Tale from Scotland
Delaware Tech Business Management major Randy Miller attended the event by presenting his huge Scotland flag, and the 604 pictures he took from Scotland. He recommends other students to come to the Postcard events in the future for various reasons.
“A lot of students are interested in traveling abroad but they only heard about it and there’s concern about financing,” he added. Miller said there are two scholarships worth $1,000 each: the Presidential Scholarship for Study Abroad, and the Owens Campus Global Understanding Study Abroad Scholarship.
Miller said he plans to go to France next year, and has studied abroad in other countries such as London, England, in 2013, Ireland in 2014, and recently Scotland this past summer.
“Since I went to England and Ireland, I wanted to experience the whole U.K,” he added.
Miller said he enjoyed the ethnicity, and difference between north and central Scotland.
After finishing at Delaware Tech, Miller plans to transfer to University of North Florida into the Healthcare Administration program which rolls from a bachelor's to a master’s degree.
“I want to take the experience I learned from study abroad and combine that with healthcare and get into healthcare consulting,” he added.
Miller earned his first degree in Office Administration in 2013, and works at Bebe Medical Center in Lewes, De, in the Emergency Room in admission and registration. Tale from Australia
Delaware Technical Community College graduate Jamie Nickerson went to Australia because her lifelong goal was to visit every country, possibly move to Austrailia, and that she’d definitely go back again but in the summer.
Nickerson added that Australia was a great experience, especially Melbourne because of its culture.
“It doesn’t have a big city feel because of all the alleyway restaurants and artistic graffiti everywhere,” she said. “The people really love their city. You can easily tell by how they talk about it and how excited they get.”
Nickerson said that attending the Global Understanding: Postcards from Scotland and Australia will help educate students on countries in which may be interested in studying abroad.
“It may help them decide which one they would like to travel to if they aren’t sure where to go,” she added.
Nickerson gave advice for those who wanted to study abroad in Australia, such as preparing for a long flight.
“Prepare for the rain if you are visiting Sydney,” she added. “It rained almost the whole time we were there. Also, try the Tim Tams and meat pies. They were delicious.”
Nickerson said she would definitely recommend students to study abroad with Delaware Tech to Australia if interested.
“The trips may be short but you still get to experience a lot in just a week,” she added.
Nickerson graduated Delaware Tech with an associate degree in Hospitality Management, and graduated from Wilmington University with a bachelor's degree in Business Management.
The Global Understanding Series events, including the “Postcard: Scotland and Australia” event, are open and free to the public. Study abroad programs that are planned for next year are France, Peru, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Italy, and Switzerland.
For more information, contact Amy Russell at amy.russell@dtcc.edu, visit the DTCC Study Abroad Club Facebook page, or the Delaware Tech Global Understanding Series events page.