Posted on Friday, March 27, 2020
Senior Samantha James has always felt a strong pull to Africa.
Her father is a minister who traveled to Africa twice a year. When she was 13, she experienced her first encounter with her father’s African friends. When she was 22, she accompanied him on one of his mission trips.
“We would often have his African friends and colleagues come to our home,” she said. “I was fascinated with everything about them. That started my obsession with the entire continent.”
During her first year at LaGrange, she visited the annual Global Fair to learn about the study-away opportunities offered during the upcoming Interim Term and May Away.
“I was excited to see one of the places that year was Africa,” she said. “But as a freshman, I didn’t have my travel voucher yet, so I had to wait.” (The college awards up to $2,500 to all first-time, first year freshmen for a study-abroad journey during their junior or senior year. The voucher can be used for all of these college-approved programs.)
Samantha, an Education Studies Major and Psychology minor from Murphresboro, Tennessee, paid a visit to Michele Raphoon, Coordinator of the Office of Global Engagement, for some advice.
“Samantha came to talk to me when she was a freshman,” Raphoon said. “She wasn’t interested in a two-week course — she wanted something more substantial, education-based and in Africa. She had a definite plan, so we started doing research.”
Samantha said she found a program that met her criteria.
“Evolve Abroad was offering “Education in the 21st Century,” a month-long course in Cape Town, South Africa, looking at the educational challenges in that city,” she said. “It had the education focus I wanted, an opportunity to work with kids and it was in Africa. It was perfect.”
Together with her professors and the Career Center, she was able to set up her Interim Term as an internship. She also earned accreditation from the University of Exeter that will help her achieve her dream of teaching internationally.
Samantha said she was thrilled with her experience.
“Evolve Abroad pushed me, challenged me and made me think,” she said. “They created an environment and a lesson plan just for me so I could be exposed to and understand the culture and people of South Africa.”
Evolve Abroad is only one of the more than 400 college-approved programs in about 40 different countries, including exchange programs with universities in Brazil, Taiwan, Japan and Northern Ireland.
“Students can study abroad during a semester, academic year or summer, not just the Interim or May Away,” Raphoon said. “It just takes a little more planning and work.”
LC students can learn about these programs and how to apply by going to the Global Engagement website and exploring the online database. They’ll then need to schedule an appointment with Raphoon to review the process and begin planning.
There is an advantage to these courses, according to Raphoon.
“The students have the opportunity for a more immersive experience abroad, and many of them live with host families where they quickly learn the language and culture of their host country,” she said. “They return home with a different perspective of the world and newfound skills and knowledge that will help them with their academics, career and personal life.”
Stay informed on the college’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. This Web page includes a list of all public announcements, as well as other resources for more information.
Frank and Laura Lewis Library staff have put together a library guide that will be on its home page. It will include free resources for students. The library also is waiving any late fees and is working to renew overdue materials. Don’t forget the library staff is available virtually and via chat from the Lewis Library website.
Dr. John Tures, Professor of Political Science, had his article, “Sobering lessons from a board game,” published in the Houston Chronicle as well as in newspapers in Jacksonville, Florida; Edwardsville, Illinois, and several others in the Southeast. The column is about the game Pandemic, and how it encourages cooperation and teaches how fast viruses spread and mutate.
Junior outfielder McKinley Erves led the LC baseball team in 11 different offensive categories. Erves batted . 441, had a slugging percentage of .647, scored 23 runs, and had 24 RBIs. Erves was third in batting average and second in RBIs in the USA South conference.
3 — Justin Muller
6 — Tracy Riggs
Jacob Wise
7 — Dawn Coker
John Hughes
10 — Richard Soash
19 — Dorothy Joiner
20 — David Wiggins
21 — Sandy Blair
24 — Ryan Dickson
For students who are looking for original, challenging fields of study, here are 15 unique programs available at LaGrange College -- from Military History to Gender Studies.
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Category: Global engagement, Academics
Keywords: Jan Term, Study Abroad
