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September 11, 2015
Davae Gibson could not stop smiling, betraying her desire to spend a semester at a top university in another country.
It was Thursday morning in the Curry Student Center Indoor Quad, the site of this fall’s Study Abroad Fair.
“I really want to take advantage of Northeastern and get international experience,” said Gibson, AMD’19. “What better way to learn more about different cultures?”
She noted that London and Rome topped her international wish list. As the second-year architecture major put it, “There’s so much beautiful architecture in Europe.”
The fair, hosted by Northeastern’s Global Experience Office, convened 500 students as well as representatives of more than 30 international study programs.
There was Queen Mary University of London and American University of Rome. There was the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, and the University of Sydney, in Australia.
Elan Axelbank, SSH’18, looked for study abroad programs in South America. A Spanish minor, he wants to improve his second-language skills.
“I also want to get a sharper perspective on how the world works,” he added. “What’s happening in the United States can’t be looked at independently of what’s happening in Chile or China or anywhere else.”
Lauren Victor, E’19, honed her global perspective last fall, spending the semester studying in Greece through the N.U.in Program. Now she wants to study abroad again, showing up on Thursday looking for opportunities suited her bioengineering major.
“Studying abroad makes it easier to understand other cultures and makes you more compassionate,” she said, explaining the benefits of the program. “It gave me access to different people and different opinions.”
Zafar Karimov, S’20, didn’t waste any time in acclimating to Northeastern’s experiential education model.
One day after attending his first college class, the first-year neuroscience major strode into the Indoor Quad looking to explore his international options.
He was born in Uzbekistan, grew up in New York, and wants to explore Europe.
“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new places,” Karimov said. “I think I can learn something from them and their experiences.”