Tanya is a History and Spanish major and spent a summer in Córdoba, Argentina. Tanya says she decided o go abroad because "I knew that living in a Spanish-speaking country would increase my comfort and fluidity in the language, and it did. Also, I had never traveled on my own before and thought that studying abroad would help me to become independent. Finally, my older sister, who never got the chance to study abroad because my parents were against it, insisted that I find a way because it would be an experience of a lifetime."
Like many students, Tanya was able to transfer her financial aid to her study abroad and described the process as "very simple".
When asked about leaving her family and friends to go abroad, Tanya says "Coming from a family and culture in which it is difficult to leave "the nest" as a young woman, it was hard to explain to my parents why I thought it was essential that I study abroad. Initially, my mother said that I absolutely could not leave the country by myself; what would people think? However, I was determined, and explained to them that the program was safe and organized, and that the experience would be important for my college career. All this proved to be true and in the end, they enjoyed hearing my stories and looking through my pictures just as much as I enjoyed sharing them."
Talking about whether she felt comfortable as a minority studying abroad, Tanya says "Absolutely (I felt comfortable as a minority abroad). In fact, I think in some ways, being a person of color enhanced my study abroad experience. People in Argentina were generally open-minded, friendly, and willing to talk about the most controversial of subjects in a positive and productive way. I am Palestinian-American and a Muslim and found myself engaging in conversation about this wherever I went (especially because it was during the summer of the Israel-Lebanon war) because people were curious, but it was always a good experience."
Tanya says of the benefits of study abroad "I've already seen the academic benefits of studying abroad; I feel that I have been able to apply my experiences to the classroom. As far as professional benefits, I recently applied to volunteer as an ESL teacher and one of the first questions I was asked was if I had studied abroad. Personally, the benefits are immeasurable. I consider my host-family to be like my real family and we keep in touch all the time, I still see the other students from the program on a regular basis now that I am back in Austin, and will never forget the amazing things I was able to see and do while studying abroad."
Finally when asked if she would recommend study abroad to other minority students, Tanya has this to say “I would strongly recommend studying abroad to anyone, but I do think it is important for there to be an increase in the number of minority students who get the opportunity.
Do you want to share your study abroad experience with us? Email us @ info@diversityabroad.com
Tanya is a History and Spanish major and spent a summer in Córdoba, Argentina. Tanya says she decided o go abroad because "I knew that living in a Spanish-speaking country would increase my comfort and fluidity in the language, and it did. Also, I had never traveled on my own before and thought that studying abroad would help me to become independent. Finally, my older sister, who never got the chance to study abroad because my parents were against it, insisted that I find a way because it would be an experience of a lifetime."
ways, being a person of color enhanced my study abroad experience. People in Argentina were generally open-minded, friendly, and willing to talk about the most controversial of subjects in a positive and productive way. I am Palestinian-American and a Muslim and found myself engaging in conversation about this wherever I went (especially because it was during the summer of the Israel-Lebanon war) because people were curious, but it was always a good experience."