Local College students are heading abroad to Europe for some international educational experience.
Two students in a business administration program are heading to the University of Andorra for a semester, while eight students will be off to Ireland for a week-long field trip.
Daniel Denegri Estrada and Sarah Clarricoates, students in the Business Administration: Sustainable Business Practices program, represent the second and third COTR members to study at the Universtiy of Andorra, a small country located between France and Spain.
The University of Andorra has an agreement with the College, where students can study abroad for a semester then transfer those credits back to theeir degree program.
Estrada — who has had a previous international educational experience through a a College-sponsored two-week field school opportunity in Tanzania — is looking forward to spending an entire semester in Europe.
“Spending an entire semester in Andorra is a fantastic opportunity to actually integrate myself in another culture,” he said. “Because the university there has exchange programs with a lot of other countries, it’s also a chance to meet people from all over Europe.”
Andrew Crozier was the first student to take part in the experience last year, noting it enhanced his worldview and career opportunities.
“Getting to travel and see the world outside of Cranbrook is so valuable and it opens up so many opportunities when you get back,” Crozier said.
Darrell Bethune, the College Dean of Business and University Arts and Sciences, said study abroad opportunities can have a positive impact on the individuals who take part in them, and on their future careers.
“The world is increasingly interconnected. In order to be successful in a business career in today’s world, individuals need to be culturally competent and globally aware,” he said. “There’s no better way to achieve this than to immerse oneself into a new cultural experience. These semesters abroad will help these students to grow as individuals, and enhance their employment prospects after they graduate.”
In February, eight students with the Practical Nursing program will travel to Ireland for a week to interact with fellow nursing students and instructors at the Athlone Institute of Technology. They will also observe nursing practices in different settings and explore similarities and differences in geriatric and end-of-life care delivery in Canada and Ireland.
“Taking part in this extraordinary field trip allows our Practical Nursing students to expand their global awareness and to gain a better understanding of the role of nurses as partners in global health,” said Heather Hepworth, Dean of Health and Human Services. “Students will have opportunity to appreciate the impact nurses have on people’s experience of health in the face of increasingly complex global health challenges and issues.”
Jenny Arts, a Practical Nursing student, said she is excited about the opportunity to learn, first-hand, about nursing practices in a different country.
“Ireland has an aging population, just like Canada, so it will be interesting to see how their health care system manages that,” she said. “Seeing a different approach to health care will help me to develop and improve my own practice as a student nurse, and as a future LPN. My fellow students and I are excited for this opportunity.”
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