As more and more St. John’s students study abroad, the University
has been steadily increasing the ways in which you can follow our
students’ global adventures – right from the comfort of your
keyboard!
The Division of Institutional Advancement hosted a new study-abroad
blog on the “Alumni and Friends” section of the St. John’s Web
site. Throughout the Spring 2011 semester, sophomore Aryanna
Whitten ’13CPS wrote weekly posts about her experiences in the
Discover the World program, an opportunity that allowed her to
study in Rome, Paris and Salamanca, Spain.
"Seeing so much of
Europe was a wonderful experience,” Whitten said. “I was thrilled
to write about it online for alumni and other students to see. I
hope that they were able to learn a lot from my entries and pretend
as if they were there alongside me.”
Using a Flip Cam recorder, Whitten edited and uploaded weekly
videos and photo galleries to give each blog a visual component.
Her videos showcased some of Europe’s most impressive landmarks –
the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, St. Peter’s Basilica – as
well as smaller cultural highlights, including a chocolate fair in
Rome and small Parisian cafes.
Aryanna also had the opportunity to deepen her spirituality while
abroad, participating in Midnight Runs to feed those in need,
visiting the remains of St. Vincent de Paul and touring the Chapel
of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Paris.
“For many of us, financial assistance was a huge factor in whether
we could actually study abroad,” Whitten noted. “I hope that from
watching my videos and reading my blogs, the alumni learned that
their gifts went to good use and were very much appreciated. It was
an experience I’ll never forget, and I hope my readers feel the
same way!”
In addition to
Aryanna’s, there are many other student-written blogs that you can
check out on the St. John’s Web site. In March, the Office of
Global Studies made its
KAPLAN Global Explorers’ Blog interactive, allowing readers to
post questions and receive answers from St. John’s bloggers
studying throughout Europe. This initiative – a joint venture
between St. John’s and KAPLAN Test Prep and Admissions – allows the
rest of the University community to gain a firsthand perspective on
what it’s like to live and learn in a foreign country. It also
provides the blogging students with a $250 Kaplan Global Explorer
scholarship at the end of the semester.
The blogs are especially helpful for fellow students back in New
York who would like to study abroad in the future.
“Our goal is to give students as much information as possible to
make it easier for them to select a destination country,” said
Shannon Okuonghae, Coordinator of Student Services. “The number of
students who want to be bloggers has actually doubled. Participants
have a strong desire to document their life-altering
experiences.”
The KAPLAN Global
Explorers’ Blog featured four student bloggers during the Spring
2011 semester. They were studying in various European destinations,
including Spain, Paris, Sweden and Rome. From visiting castles to
cruising the Baltic Sea, the students wrote about the thrilling
sights and sounds of Europe in each of their weekly blog
entries.
“The blog raises the level of campus awareness of the benefits of
living and studying abroad,” said Judy Chen ’02MBA, Director of
Business Affairs and Planning. “In fact, since we encourage our
student explorers to feel free to express themselves openly and
honestly, the blogs can make truly compelling reading.”