With the world becoming more violent every day, some wonder if studying abroad is still a safe learning experience for American students.
Travel concern has increased following the Paris terror attacks in November, in which several Americans were injured. California State University mourned the loss of Nohemi Gonzalez, a senior design student who was spending a semester studying abroad and was fatally shot in one of the attacks.
Students at Shenandoah University (SU) in northern Virginia, voiced some safety concerns about their upcoming study abroad trips, but won’t let the violence overseas stop them from traveling.
SU has a university-funded program called the Global Citizenship Project (GCP), that sends its students and staff members around the world — free of cost — over spring break.
According to one upcoming participant, sophomore Danielle Coffinbarger, admittance into the program is competitive and involves an essay based on the prompts, ‘Why do you want to go?’ and, ‘What will you bring back?’ Many students, like Coffinbarger, apply several times in their school careers. A panel of university members reviews the essays, and selects students and staff members to participate. Coffinbarger is excited to be heading to Ecuador next March.
While Coffinbarger has a “huge sense of wanderlust,” she understands the growing concern for the safety of student travelers.
Coffinbarger was “completely devastated,” after hearing of the attacks in Paris.
Sharing her concern was senior Caitlyn Friday, who recalled hearing about the attacks from England, where she spent the past semester at the University of Winchester.
“I was shocked because I had just travelled to Paris a couple weeks before,” she said. She worried that attacks like this one, “might affect others’ decision to study abroad, because it is a scary situation.”
In light of these acts of violence, freshman Catherine Lupien agreed that her, “level of concern [for safety] depends on the country,” but nonetheless, she hopes to, “experience what’s actually out there, outside of [her] comfort zone,” in her travels to Bhutan next spring.
Although they acknowledge the risk of traveling, the students are optimistic about their trips.
“If a student has the true desire to see the world and make a difference, then they will be willing to take the risk,” Lupien said. She asserted that an increasing “global awareness,” can make the world a safer place.
“There is always a little fear and danger connected to leaving somewhere you consider home,” Coffinbarger admitted, but she suggested that there may be, “just as much danger in staying home as there is leaving.” She is driven to, “get to other parts of the world,” and see, “what all the anger and fear looked like,” through the eyes of another culture.
Students suggested making a careful choice when selecting a study abroad or travel destination.
“I would want to go somewhere that has a history of being safe,” Friday said. “A person should be cautious with leaving the United States…It is already a threat.”
“We cannot let [ISIS] stop us from living our lives,” Lupien said, “because that is exactly what they want.”
