Due to COVID-19 I did not get to complete an internship or study abroad this summer. I plan on doing an alternative break at some point in the next two years, because I don’t know if I will be able to complete both of these things in one summer. I am really looking forward to hopefully being able to study abroad somewhere.
6/4/2021
This past year I was able to fulfil my study abroad requirement with HONS 490 directed study. This class connected honors students from Longwood with Dutch students from Windesheim University. In small groups of four we came up with a socially innovative way to address an issue related to the COVID-19 crisis and present it in a podcast and infographic. My group created an app designed to connect students at both schools for tutoring and help across subject areas.
This was a great experience and I really enjoyed working with the girls in my group, getting to know them was the highlight of the project. It was great to be able to talk and discuss with students from another country, it was great opportunity to learn about how COVID affected other people my age and in my similar situation. I really enjoyed talking and discussing our differences and the class voted for our podcast! I am super proud of the work that we did.
Throughout this semester, I was able to expand my understanding of Dutch university students. My previous interactions have all been with student athletes studying here at Longwood. I really enjoyed working with these girls and it was very interesting to see the cultural differences in how our universities work and prepare us for future careers. Elianne and Winnie explained how they study with the intent of getting a certain job after graduation whereas we study a subject that potentially leads to a career.
Here is a link to the podcast that Julia, Elianne, Winnie and I made: https://liveadminwindesheim.sharepoint.com/sites/O365-LongwoodandWindesheim/Gedeelde%20documenten/Team%2012/Recording.m4a