Sharks Abroad Week, through the Office of International Affairs, is a special opportunity for all Nova Southeastern University students interested in traveling the world and immersing themselves in worldwide experiences and cultures. The week of October 18 will consist of events to help provide opportunities for students to gain information on how to get started on studying abroad.
Due to COVID-19 policies, all of Sharks Abroad Week will be taking place virtually on Zoom through webinars. This helps provide a safe way for the organization and their partners to inform students on the amazing things they have planned.
The week consists of presentations from sponsors who are study abroad providers that help communicate topics regarding budgeting while abroad, STEM abroad and cultural aspects abroad.
Some study abroad partners include ISA, Atlantis, and CIEE. These partners are the main ones that are involved with the program. Their goal is to provide key information and help give clarity to students who are interested in studying abroad and are unaware of the overall process, wanting to know more.
Other exciting opportunities during the week involve multiple giveaways.
Sharks Abroad will be giving out Amazon gift cards. Every presentation a student attends will put them into a raffle to receive a gift card, with a huge giveaway at the end of the week. Partners will also be waiving application fees and giving discounts on their programs, but only to individuals who attend their presentations.
Polina Balysh, sharks abroad peer advisor, discussed what Sharks Abroad week has to offer students.
Balysh said, “We have programs that range from a week to a whole year, so there’s definitely a variation and the students are free to choose whatever is best for them if they want to do like the standard one semester. Either fall or winter that’s available if they want to do a summer program, which usually is about two to eight weeks that’s also available.”
Students have different options available when it comes to how long they want to study abroad depending on their schedules, and personal preference.
Cassidy Campanella, sharks abroad peer advisor supervisor, said that her own study abroad experience was completely life changing.
“I went three weeks in the summer, so it didn’t take away from my semester or my school duties. I went to Italy for a medical fellowship; I did a lot of professional experiences while I was there, and I went right after my freshman year and like I still talk about it now as senior because it was just such a monumental part of my career or my college experience,” she said.
Campanella’s experience shows how influential studying abroad can be for NSU sharks. Campanella’s fellowship gave real-world experience while allowing her to being immersed in Italian culture.
“It’s an opportunity for students to see cultures and perspectives outside. Sometimes people think that what we know as normal is how it is everywhere, and then they go to another country, and they see that there are other ways of doing things that are just as good or even better,” Campanella said.
Sharks Abroad Week provides an opportunity for Sharks to gain a better understanding of what study abroad has to offer them and gives students the opportunity to see if this is something they would be interested in. Those interested in learning more can contact sharksabroad@nova.edu
