When Christopher Hernandez ’12CPS came to St. John’s University
as a freshman in the fall of 2009, he never imagined that before
the end of his sophomore year he would be spending an entire
semester in some of the most exciting cities of Europe.
You can follow Christopher Hernandez’s experiences in Europe by
visiting his weekly blog.
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Hernandez is currently a Liberal Studies major but plans to
switch to Graphic Design at the conclusion of the Spring 2010
semester, when he returns from studying abroad as part of St.
John’s popular Discover the World program, a unique academic
initiative that allows students to live and learn in three European
cities during a single semester. He will be spending the next 15
weeks in Paris, Rome and Dublin, and sees his time in Europe as
offering valuable assistance as he prepares for a career as a
graphic designer.
“I’ve never been outside of the country before,” he said.
“Initially, some of my friends encouraged me to participate in the
Discover the World program, and after thinking about it I decided
that it would be a really great experience for me. I realized
pretty quickly that being a part of this special program would give
me many opportunities that I couldn’t afford to pass up.”
Hernandez refers to the cities in which he’ll be studying as
“art cities” because of their centuries-old history of producing
some of the world’s finest and most enduring works of art. He
believes that the ability to personally experience such
masterpieces will greatly enhance his chances for career success
after graduation.
“I’ll be exposed to so much history and be able to appreciate so
much art that wouldn’t otherwise be available to me,” he noted
excitedly. “I see that my participation in Discover the World
will be a really great advantage for me in so many ways, not just
academically but culturally and personally as well. When you
stay in the United States you’re kind of opinionated and don’t
really know how things work in other areas of the world. I
know that this program will give me a broader and more global view
of how things are in other countries.”
Hernandez is the first person in his family to ever go to
college, and everyone is understandably happy that he will be
immersed in the culture of places they’ve only heard about.
“My family has never been to Europe,” he noted “and I have to say
that they’re definitely looking forward to learning about it
through my eyes. We’ll be staying in touch with each other
regularly during my time abroad.”
Hernandez hopes to have some time for additional traveling when
he’s not actively pursuing his studies. “I know that I’ll be
busy, but I expect that this semester will be a lot of fun as
well. I really want to visit Venice, and I hope that I’ll
have the time to do so during my stay in Italy.”
This engaging sophomore was quick to express his appreciation to
the University for providing the financial assistance necessary to
help cover the expenses of his studies abroad. “I’m totally
grateful to St. John’s for giving me the opportunity to participate
in such an exceptional program,” he said. “I received a
partial scholarship that takes care of nearly all of my expenses
overseas. Without that scholarship I would never have been
able to go away.”