“How my study abroad inspired my career path”
“Studying abroad was an opportunity that opened my eyes to the world around me. I had travelled around Europe before, but staying put and studying at a school like John Cabot in Rome not only allowed me to connect to the culture on a deeper level than ever before, but I really grow as a person from it.
My time at John Cabot allowed me to pursue my own individual interests and passions while rounding out my education as a whole. Spending a semester overseas forces a student to become an independent young adult; one that is responsible for budgeting, communicating with people who speak foreign languages and continue to develop themselves as an engaged citizen of the world. As this world we live in continues to shrink, study away experiences become ever-increasingly important, with lasting value not only to the students themselves, but also the international community in which we all live.
My semester in Rome was a time I’ll never forget, and it provided an opportunity for me to pursue my passions in international travel and which I have now transformed into my career path. This wonderful opportunity simply wouldn’t have been possible without my time abroad at JCU. Not having majored in business, launching Weekend Student Adventures has been a crash course in entrepreneurship and I’ve encountered endless hurdles along the way. But for the readers of this article interested in pursuing their own international passions, I have to say it’s been entirely worth every challenge, setback and frustration.
Now I feel blessed and fortunate to provide a deeper kind of traveling experience not attainable otherwise by students abroad in Europe. I rely on my lifelong friends and connections throughout the continent to open my students’ eyes to the rich and complex cultures of the people of Europe. Be sure to check out our line up of trips up on www.wsaeurope.com!”
Happy Travels!
Andy Steves
Andy@WSAEurope.com
Andy Steves graduated from Notre Dame in May, 2010 and has since capitalized on his semester abroad in Rome (Spring ’08) to start a student tour business in Europe, Weekend Student Adventures. Andy combined the experience of studying abroad and a lifetime of traveling with his father, Rick Steves to make WSA the leading student tour provider in Europe. Now hundreds of American students abroad in Europe enjoy his exciting trips each semester.
After reading this post, I am considering one day to study abroad. The post was written in detail providing major points that highlighted the positives of studying abroad. Through the last eight weeks, I have blogged and read several posts that were informative to me as a student and educator. This post has enlightened me to want to visit a different country and learn new techniques, skills, and concepts to prepare me to be a better educator. I love to learn new information. The word practice follows because I enjoy demonstrating different learning strategies. I am lucky that I chose the Pie News as an international blog because it has increased my awareness about global educational issues and situations.
Sebrina Patton
Your article was interesting to read. I was elated to find out that your experience led you to owning your own business. A great deal of American students would be nervous about studying in another country. I have thought about studying abroad but was not sure about how the other counties’ educational practices. I have a question for you. Do you think their education system is better than America’s education system? If so, how?