Transformational globetrotting

Ohio State Newark knows it too. That’s why it has helped send her all over the world. She has admired ancient architecture in Greece, embedded with an indigenous tribe in Panama and cringed at coral bleaching while snorkeling off the coast of Australia. “These experiences helped me figure out who I want to be and how I want to interact with the world,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t be who I am today without them.”

Rhodes’ road to this enhanced worldview isn’t necessarily unique. Ohio State Newark is a leader among regional campuses in establishing education abroad opportunities, facilitating fellowships and organizing overseas internships. For many of its students, these efforts afford them their only chance at meaningful international exposure. “And these life-changing experiences really are available to everybody,” Rhodes said.

Ilyas Nur had also hardly left Ohio before studying abroad. The oldest of eight siblings, it has been hard enough for Nur’s family to send him to college — let alone to other continents. “But Ohio State Newark doesn’t let financial worries become a barrier,” he said. “I was given opportunities and funding I didn’t know existed.” One such fund was the Paul B. and Mable D. Jones Endowed Fund for Study Abroad, which provides assistance with tuition, travel costs and fees for Ohio State Newark students participating in an education abroad experience

Nur’s excursion saw him visit famous cultural sites in France and cook traditional meals with villagers in the mountains of Morocco. “It is and will always be the highlight of my college career,” he said of the trip. For as much as he got to see, though, he knows the true impact is intangible. These programs push students outside their comfort zone in a way that, according to Nur, “really allows us to embrace change.

These wise Buckeyes have become motivated to create change as a result. Enter Sydney Hoang, who received a grant to student teach at a boarding school in Indonesia. In her new student-teaching stint, she said she’s “applying different project-based activities that I saw over there.” And take Thomas Maul, who journeyed to Germany for an engineering internship. It led him to start “doing training sessions with my student organization so everybody can get a grasp of the skills I gained,” he said. “I was constantly learning my entire month in Germany. That experience was a great jumping off point for me.”

Such inspiring experiences help these students jump into their future endeavors with increased confidence and cultural competence. Consequently, Nur created his own motto: Grow your table, not your fence. It’s an open-mindedness Ohio State Newark nurtures through these programs. When it comes to opportunities for international exposure, there’s always a seat at the table. “Ohio State Newark was the backbone of my experience abroad,” Nur confirmed, “and I can’t even put into words the impact it had on me.”