Explore #MasonAbroad Spotlights
Current Submissions
Arshad Shaik
Read Story| Major | Computer Science |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Study Abroad | India |
| Highlight | Though it is an ongoing process, the brightest highlight that I experienced is the fact that I can learn and do so many things only by going regularly to our own office! |
| Challenge | The major Challenge I faced is managing my internship, learning cloud computing, python, and Java together! |
| Favorite Food | Punugulu |
Caleb Faulkerson
| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Born in Boston, MA; currently live in Fairfax, VA |
| Study Abroad | Madrid, Spain |
| Highlight | I got to meet a plethora of outgoing individuals from diverse national, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. |
| Challenge | Initially, I felt lonely because most others in my study abroad cohort seemed more connected to one another than I did, but, upon reflecting and planning ahead with a new mindset, I overcame this challenge and positioned myself to meet new people. |
| Favorite Food | Above all, I really enjoyed the shawarma from those humble alley restaurants. The ones in Grenada were especially good, as were those in Ibiza (they even had a Burger King-inspired shawarma shop there!). |
Christina Santisteban
Read Story| Major | Integrative Studies with a concentration in International Relations |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Ashburn, VA |
| Study Abroad | South Korea |
| Highlight | I think diving into a culture independently as I was able to be able to explore things that I wanted to explore and learned how to be more independent and understanding culture boundaries, since it was the first time I had been away from my family. |
| Challenge | I think one of the challenges of my study abroad experiences were being able to navigate different areas and people both in the program and out. Knowing what kinds of conversations you could have with those two different groups is important. |
| Favorite Food | To be honest, all of the food I ate was good. |
Emma Gonzalez
Read Story| Major | Biology |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Fairfax, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Global Gateway Australia |
| Highlight | Going to Rottnest Island and meeting all the little Quokkas. The island also had beautiful beaches that we stayed at for a bit. |
| Challenge | I think the biggest challenge for me was getting used to how the university taught its courses. I had to find ways to manage my time to balance studying for school and having my own experiences there. |
| Favorite Food | Sushi |
Emily Melton
| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Raleigh, NC |
| Study Abroad | South Korea (Mason Korea) |
| Highlight | Being able to travel all over Korea and learn more about it's culture and history. |
| Challenge | Dealing with the language barrier and cultural miscommunications. |
| Favorite Food | Pajeon (Korean pancake) |
Malkah Hochman
| Major | Environmental and Sustainability Studies: Environmental Policy and Economics |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Williamsburg, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Dublin, Ireland |
| Highlight | I valued the opportunity to engage with professionals in the field that I am studying. It can be difficult to envision how a career connects to course material; working with people doing just that was beyond helpful in determining where I want to take my education and career. |
| Challenge | As we all have experienced due to COVID, connecting with people over a zoom call or through email has its challenges. I found it difficult to meet people for the first time over a video call. Thankfully, everyone I worked with was willing to bridge that gap together and provide instances where we could better connect and understand each other's points of view and ideas. An open and inquisitive mind goes a long way. |
| Favorite Food | I'd not had fish and chips before, and while there were fish and chips in Dublin and the surrounding cities; I would recommend trying Galway's at some point because those were exceptional. |
Matt Godfrey
| Major | Conflict Analysis and Resolution |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Hampton Bays, NY |
| Study Abroad | Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia |
| Highlight | The highlight of my study abraod was I got to explore the bascarsija market. This is an old market dating back to the 1400's with many shops and blacksmiths that create tea sets and other items. |
| Challenge | My main challenge was getting to my destination there were a lot of hurdles with delays and navigating Europe for my first time traveling abroad. I made the most of it by exploring Barcelona for a day. |
| Favorite Food | My favorite food was Pilav s mesom. |
2022-2023
Carma Elharazi
Read Story| Major | Foreign Languages: Mandarin and Korean |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Study Abroad | Taiwan - External Program National Sun Yat-Sen University South Korea - External Program Sogang University |
| Highlight | Taiwan Being able to travel throughout the whole Island, staying at university full of monkeys and learning the native language, Hokkien. South Korea learning how to navigate the subway system and being able to be fully immersed into the Korean language. |
| Challenge | My ear getting infected in Taiwan and having to go to the hospital by myself. |
| Favorite Food | 蛋餅跟蘿蔔糕 Egg Crepes and Radish Cake; 순두부그리고 냉면 Tofu Stew and Cold Noodles |
Fiona Lighthiser
Read Story| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Louisville, Colorado |
| Study Abroad | Quito, Ecuador |
| Highlight | I loved being able to speak Spanish every day and learning slang/vocabulary specific to the region. |
| Challenge | It was challenging to adapt to the culture, especially when learning social norms. |
| Favorite Food | My favorite food was fruit - there was so many different types, specifically mora (Andean blackberry) and tomate de árbol (specific to Ecuador). My favorite dish was Encocado (seafood cooked in a coconut sauce - a coastal dish) |
Haley Ephraim
Read Story| Major | Criminology |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Dallas, Texas |
| Study Abroad | Mason Korea |
| Highlight | Visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace with new friends. |
| Challenge | Not speaking the language whenever we went off campus made things a little difficult. |
| Favorite Food | Korean Barbeque |
Jackie Ailstock
| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Chile |
| Highlight | Submersing myself within the Chilean culture and living with an amazing host family. |
| Challenge | Dealing with the very beginning of a global pandemic while abroad. |
| Favorite Food | Rice and chicken sauté |
Jennifer Jennings
Read Story| Major | Neuroscience with a double minor in Intelligence Studies and Forensic Psychology |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Study Abroad | Global Gateway Australia |
| Highlight | Visiting Rottnest Island with my cohort and taking pictures with the Quokkas! |
| Challenge | Overcoming the time zone difference once classes were moved to an online formation due to COVID-19 (taking exams at 2am is not a schedule I would recommend). |
| Favorite Food | Perth is known for its cultural diversity, especially when it comes to cuisine and music. Every Thursday the city would set up food trucks and performances to explore! |
Jianyu Ren
Read Story| Major | Business |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Kunshan, China |
| Study Abroad | Mason Korean |
| Highlight | It helps me to adapt to the new environments better. |
| Challenge | The language problem. I have to handle all the issues by myself without the understanding of Korean. |
| Favorite Food | Kimchi and Toufu soup |
Joanne Nasr
| Major | Government and International Politics |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Springfield, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Thailand |
| Highlight | Travelling throughout Bangkok alone via Skytrain. |
| Challenge | Missing out on a big portion of the program because of visa issues and COVID. |
| Favorite Food | Fried pineapples with honey, shrimp curry, and tom yum. |
Katie Bartlett
| Major | Government and International Politics |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Tampa, Florida |
| Study Abroad | Switzerland (also including France and Belgium) |
| Highlight | Getting to go to NATO headquarters in Belgium and learn from people who work there. |
| Challenge | The language barrier. |
| Favorite Food | Fondue! |
Sasha May
Read Story| Major | Business Management |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Fairfax, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Mason Korea (3 semesters), Global Gateway |
| Highlight | Befriending numerous local business owners within both Songdo and Seoul, of which I am still friends with to this day |
| Challenge | After having been an off-campus commuter student at Mason, studying abroad provided me with the independence of living on my own for the very first time. Along with the abrupt immersion to life in South Korea, this prompted significant personal growth. |
| Favorite Food | Dolsot Bibimbap |
2019-2021
Abigail Bilby
| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Suffolk, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Oxford Semester Experience |
| Highlight | I loved being surrounded by all of the history that Oxford has and to be able to learn in the same places where some of the greatest minds have studied. It was almost a surreal experience to be in the middle of an epicenter of hundreds of years of knowledge. |
| Challenge | I considered myself to be a pretty good writer until I sat face to face with an expert who expected top-notch research and analysis. It was pretty challenging to realize that even if I am a good student, I really needed to be the best student I could be in order to feel like I deserved my place there. |
| Favorite Food | £3 Meal Deal from Tesco. Sandwich. Chips. Drink. £3 even. |
Abigail Hummel
| Major | Global Affairs, Accelerated Masters |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Yorktown, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Oxford Semester Experience |
| Highlight | Having my family come visit me in England at the end of my experience |
| Challenge | Adjusting to the culture and the new time zone |
| Favorite Food | Definitely breakfast at the local cafe down the street. My favorite there was smoked salmon with poached eggs and Oxford Sourdough toast! |
Alex May
| Major | Global Affairs |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Study Abroad | United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary, Austria |
| Highlight | I always meeting new people and forming close connections with not only my fellow Mason students. It was also a great experience making friends with people from other countries, or just happening to run into other Americans. It's really a small world out there when you go out and explore it. |
| Challenge | During my time attending a program at Oxford, the classes were very much above my level at the time, and it was one of the first real challenges I'd experienced in my college career at that point, particularly the final paper. |
| Favorite Food | Lángos, deep-fried flatbread typically served with sour cream and cheese, basically a Hungarian pizza. |
Brooke Wooldridge
| Major | Biology |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Clinton, New York |
| Study Abroad | Canberra, Australia |
| Highlight | One highlight of my study abroad experience was being able to scuba dive and swim next to a Sea turtle at the Great Barrier Reef. |
| Challenge | One challenge of my study abroad experience was the difficulty of a couple of the courses I took. |
| Favorite Food | Chicken Schnitty |
Charlie Norman-Blakeney
| Major | Bioengineering |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Berlin, Germany Internship Program |
| Highlight | Cooking dinner with my internship company and eating the food on the roof while we watched the sunset. |
| Challenge | Managing my money. If not careful, you can spend a lot of money eating out and buying souvenirs for people. |
| Favorite Food | Pulled pork sandwich from the Street Food Market at Markthalle Neun. |
Greta Roberson
| Major | Global Affaris |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Spotsylvania, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Ifrane, Morocco (Global Gateway) |
| Highlight | Riding camels in the Sahara desert and spending the night in a tent under the stars |
| Challenge | Learning to speak Arabic with locals but it is incredibly rewarding |
| Favorite Food | Any couscous dishes! |
Jazmine Jules
| Major | Creative Writing |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Germantown, Maryland |
| Study Abroad | Mason Korea and NUI Galway |
| Highlight | Aimlessly walking around, enjoying the sights of both countries and taking it all in brought a genuine smile to my face. |
| Challenge | It was a challenge to budget my money efficiently especially on my first study abroad trip to South Korea because I realized I didn't save enough. |
| Favorite Food | I miss the convenient Korean street food that was always fun to walk around and try. I miss Supermacs curry cheese fries from Galway. They were heavenly. |
Julia McCombs
| Major | Government and International Politics |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Chesapeake, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Perth, Australia (Global Gateway) |
| Highlight | Feeding kangaroos |
| Challenge | Being away from family for so long |
| Favorite Food | Kangaroo burgers |
Juliana Pina
| Major | Global Community Health |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Stafford, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Dublin, Ireland (Global Gateway) |
| Highlight | Learning about and immersing myself in a new culture by becoming a part of the local community |
| Challenge | Missing the familiarity and comforts of home |
| Favorite Food | Tea and biscuits |
Kalkidan Zewdu
| Major | Government and International Politics |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Mason Korea |
| Highlight | There are a lot of good highlights that I experience in Korea. Out of all the highlights, I really appreciated was learning about myself and traveling independently. I felt very confident going to places and discovering the world. I met a lot of amazingly cool people that appreciate nature and culture as much as I do. I get to try new food and live in a new cultural environment which I thought was amazing. |
| Challenge | I Felt homesick just because I've never really gotten outside of my house before. I never even traveled inside the states before I went to Korea. So it was a very new experience for me to study abroad and leave my family behind. Even though, I reminded myself how grateful I am for my study abroad opportunity I easily got overcome my challenges. |
| Favorite Food | Topokki and Gimbal |
Liz Hardiman
Read Story| Major | Conflict Analysis and Resolution |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Massapequa, New York |
| Study Abroad | Santiago, Chile and Budapest, Hungary |
| Highlight | Too many to count, seeing wild horses in the Andes mountains, and wandering around Budapest are two of the big ones. |
| Challenge | Fitting in all the sightseeing. |
| Favorite Food | Alfajores in Chile (a traditional caramel pasty) and Lángos in Hungary- a fried bread topped with sour cream, and cheese. |
Nickolyn Jackson
| Major | Anthropology and Biology |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Woodstock, Illinois |
| Study Abroad | Florence Semester Experience (Italy); Andean Archaeology (Peru) |
| Highlight | Witnessing an active excavation of skeletal remains in Huanchaco, Peru and celebrating my 19th birthday in Florence (Italy) with my amazing host family |
| Challenge | It was difficult to study abroad during my freshman year but worth the challenge. |
| Favorite Food | Risotto |
Phillip Robinson
| Major | Conflict Analysis and Resolution |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Fairfax, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Chinese Language in Beijing, China |
| Highlight | All of the connections I made and the people that I met was the best thing that could have happened to me. I have best friends across the world now that I check on frequently. |
| Challenge | The ability to pick up the language as I went along proved to be difficult because of the different nuances of Chinese. |
| Favorite Food | Dumplings |
Sarah Loveday
| Major | History |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Fairfax, Virginia |
| Study Abroad | Zanzibar, Tanzania |
| Highlight | The best part of my Study Abroad was getting to experience new culture and having the opportunity to try new things. |
| Challenge | My biggest challenge was being worried about being in an area I was unfamiliar with and being with people I was unfamiliar with. I was surprised how comfortable I was by the time we left. |
| Favorite Food | Samosa |