After two summers and 10 countries, senior nursing major Alexa Avey came back to the Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, but this time she is behind the table sharing her stories with prospective study abroad students.
“Everyone says you are never going to get this experience in life again, and it’s so true.” Avey said. “Later in life, I’m not going to be able to up and leave my life for five weeks. You’re not going to get to go with a group of 30 college students, when you’re a college student yourself, and be able to have that kind of experience.”
Avey went to Italy after her sophomore year and went to Paris after her junior year last year. During the trips she separately went to Spain, England, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
For her next trip, Avey is planning on going to Greece with the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, or KIIS, program over the summer, the program she is promoted at the fair.
She said the study abroad fair is a good place to refute common myths associated with these trips, like it is too expensive, it will delay graduation and a requirement to speak multiple languages.
Avey used loans and scholarships, only went during the summer and managed to communicate with mostly English. She said every student has the same opportunity.
“Everyone always tells me, ‘Oh, you’re so lucky you got to go,’” Avey said. “No. This has nothing to do with luck, I did this myself.”
John Jensen, director of Study Abroad, said the faculty at the Rinker Center for International Programs is always available to help students prepare everything, including finding a program, figuring out credits and finding scholarships.
Francois Le Roy, executive director of the International Education Center at Northern Kentucky University, said he drove three hours to be a part of the Study Abroad Fair.
“I wanted to promote KIIS programs but I also wanted to meet with my colleagues.” Le Roy said. “Ball State has been a very active, very successful participant in the KIIS program. Ball State students have always distinguished themselves by being particularly engaged, dynamic, very positive.”
Le Roy said the biggest difference between the Ball State Study Abroad Fair and the fair at Northern Kentucky is the faculty support.
There were 25 faculty officially signed up to run the fair, and more continued to stop by. Le Roy said he would not have as much faculty support at his fair.
Avey said teachers have helped her learn from her experiences.
“The teachers want you to learn about the culture.” Avey said. “Ultimately, that is going to be the greatest learning experience, [which] is outside of the classroom. ... In Italy we would go to the plazas and have class in the plaza.”
Avey said she will remember the trips for the rest of her life.
“Just wandering the streets aimlessly in Florence, [Italy,] and everything was so old, and the architecture is so old, and everything is gorgeous,” she said. “Just to look at things and know the historical significance ... it’s really a great thing.”
