Students share International Experiences during Global Showcase

The Muenster University Center Pit was alive with an international flavor. USD students showcased photos and videos from their study abroad trips and reflected on their experiences for International Education Week on Friday afternoon.

Ashley Anderson, a junior medical biology major and psychology minor, went to Australia last spring. Friday’s showcase, she said, was an opportunity for her to share a special souvenir from her trip: a t-shirt from a youth hospital she visited.

“It’s just a good memory of mine to remind me of different people I met,” Anderson said.

She said studying in Australia was “such a good growth experience” as she met people from all over the world with different backgrounds.

“I liked how it was a good opportunity to get out of South Dakota and experience more diversity. I got really close with people all over the world,” she said.

Lexi Ellerbeck, a junior French education major, spent a semester studying in Pau, France.

“[I] got to travel multiple places, including Spain, Italy, Switzerland and London, as well as different places around France,” Ellerbeck said.

She participated in a  study abroad program called USAC. The experience introduced her to a wide variety of people from across the globe.

“[I] met students from all over the world. I was in classes with people from Africa, Asia, South America and the United States,” Ellerbeck said. “I got to meet a wide variety of people from all around the world while I was there.”

Keeli Bent, junior communication sciences and disorders major, said she appreciated the diverse scenery during her trip to Australia.

“It has such a diverse geographic region. There’s rain forests, outback, deserts, and then the beautiful ocean of course,” Bent said. “It was just amazing and there’s people from all over the world there.”

Bent also received an award in a photo contest for a picture she took while in Bali, Indonesia during her trip. While Bent shared her experiences on Friday, she said she enjoyed catching up with other students and learning about their international trips.

“It’s amazing just to see what other USD students have experienced and I’m glad that we can show it off to other USD students who maybe want to study abroad but don’t know much about it,” Bent said.

Bent said students should consider studying abroad, regardless of their major.

“There are so many different opportunities for all sorts of majors,” Bent said. “I would definitely recommend looking at the Gallagher Center’s website to look at what program may be best for certain people’s majors, but there’s so many opportunities that I think everyone would have an opportunity no matter what their major is.”