Gwendolyn Schaefer knew she wanted to study abroad in the Middle East, but the Arab Spring presented a potential threat to her personal security. Her first two choices were Egypt and Syria, but both were deep in the throes of political unrest. Eventually, she landed in Amman, Jordan through Education Abroad at UK with AMIDEAST.

The educational rabbit-hole of entering the medical world can be a time consuming one. Often students feels that they don’t have time to squeeze in an elective of their choice — much less a semester abroad. Jennifer Hamilton however, was able to study abroad twice while earning her undergraduate degree in biology. Hamilton attributes this achievement to her College of Arts and Sciences advisor who guided her through the study abroad process, helped with scholarships, while also keeping her on track academically.

For ten years, Shoulder to Shoulder Global has been serving impoverished communities in and near Santo Domingo, Ecuador. In 2002, Shoulder to Shoulder Global went on its first trip to help people in need of medical care. Groups of students, healthcare professionals, faculty and volunteers have been visiting multiple times a year ever since. Though the group’s goal is to provide healthcare, any interested student or community member can participate. 

Since 2010, the Chinese Studies program at UK has taken groups of students to Shanghai University in the summer for a 6-credit Conversational Chinese course. Liang Luo is a professor of Chinese culture and language, and has accompanied two of these groups to Shanghai.