WCC offers a chance to complete credits while traveling at the same time. Why not?
Over spring break from March 16 to 24, music instructor Kamuela Kimokeo is leading a trip to Aotearoa (New Zealand) to perform Hawaiian music. Students must enroll in MUS 122Z: ‘Ukelele 2, MUS 121F: Slack Key Guitar 1, MUS 122F: Slack Key Guitar 2, or MUS 211: Introduction to Hawaiian Ensemble. Preference will be given to students with experience playing ‘ukulele or guitar. The trip costs approximately $1,320, plus airfare. Scholarships are available.
Kylie Tiau who studied abroad in New Zealand in 2017 said that initially she wasn’t sure about studying abroad because none of her friends were going and she “was shy about making new friends, especially going to another country.”
However she said, “ … looking back, not studying abroad could have been the biggest regret of my life, and I truly made lifelong friendships.”
Next summer, you could join psychology instructor Lisamarie Bensman in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. The trip is from May 13 to June 3. To be eligible, fill out the application and register for either PSY 100: Survey of Psychology or PSY 250: Social Psychology during Summer Session I. The trip costs $2,500, not including airfare. Scholarships are available.
This trip includes an overnight stay in a castle town; visits to castles, museums, historic synagogues, churches and basilicas galore; a day trip to Auschwitz; the Wieliczka Salt Mines; an overnight train ride from Krakow to Budapest; and boat cruises along the Vltava and Danube rivers.
Hadmack said she is excited for the trip because “it’s a brand new program that we’re offering to our students. I love seeing a student’s excitement to learn about another culture. I love that our students have various opportunities to study abroad.”
From July 8-19, theatre faculty Nicolas Logue and Taurie Kinoshita will lead a trip to England to practice Shakespearean theatre. The group will explore London and Stratford-upon-Avon, attend five to six shows in major venues and train in rigorous conservatoire styles. Students will also go behind-the-scenes at the National Theatre in London and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford while networking with working professionals, producers, casting agents and directors.
WCC’s study abroad program applications are currently rolling. Hard deadlines will be announced in the spring semester.
There are several scholarships that can help defray the costs of study abroad. The Honda Scholarship for International Study provides students $2,000 to $8,000, and the Gilman scholarship offers $5,000 in financial assistance to study anywhere in the world.
The deadline for the Honda scholarship is March 1, but students can already apply. The deadline for the Gilman scholarship is March 5. That application will open in mid-January. Hadmack said that the Study Abroad Center staff is also developing a large database of other scholarships for study abroad to aid students in finding money to fund their travels.
Student Will Hood said that his study abroad trip to England changed his life in many ways.
“When my study abroad trip came to an end, I was sad to leave but grateful for all of the experiences,” he said. “And when I did return home, I had a different outlook on life.”
He encourages anyone who is skeptical or has ever thought about studying abroad to “just let go of your fears and do it!”
For more information about any of the upcoming trips or study abroad in general, visit Sarah Hadmack in Hale Mānaleo 108 on Mondays 9-9:50 a.m. or 2:30-3:30 p.m. or on Tuesdays 1:30-3:30 p.m. You can also go to https://windward.hawaii.edu/study_abroad/.
by Antonia Gary, Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
