I Heart Travel Week is an annual event where Kent State spends a week celebrating education abroad and international education, which was celebrated April 6-10 this year. During the week, students had the opportunity to learn more about education abroad, celebrate current students and past students who have studied abroad and engage with international activities on campus.
“We're just trying to reach some students who maybe don't necessarily know about education abroad opportunities on campus,” Margaret Betz, senior education abroad advisor, Office of Global Education, told Kent State Today.
These distinctive study abroad programs allow students to gain a cultural experience that is essential for global career readiness.
Throughout the week, many events occurred, including two Education Abroad Meet & Greets. One took place on April 6 outside of the Kent Student Center. During this event, students were able to stop by and say hello to the education abroad team, grab a snack and a flyer about education abroad information.
“Today we’re handing out granola bars and then little flyers that have information about events this week that are for students who are just learning about education abroad and don’t know about opportunities or what works for their major, et cetera., all the way to events for students who are getting ready to travel this summer, talking about things like airport procedures, what to pack, and things like that,” Betz told Kent State Today.
The Meet & Greets were just the beginning of I Heart Travel Week.
“And then we have some events this week where students can just get to know our staff and learn how to explore our website,” said Betz.
Monday’s activities continued with Education Abroad 101, where students who were interested in learning more about studying abroad were invited to join to learn more about how to get started.
On Tuesday, April 7, students gathered in Bowman Hall for an informational session, “Monkeys in Japan: Behavior and Culture.”
“The event is an information session about our new study abroad course, which is a joint course between anthropology, biological sciences and neuroscience,” Rafaela Takeshita, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology and instructor for the study abroad course, said.
The session provided information to students about this unique study abroad opportunity that combines primate behavior, culture and neuroscience in Japan.
“Students need to know what kind of opportunities they have. I know study abroad courses are important for them to develop not just the academic side, but the cultural experience side,” Takeshita said. “We want to introduce this course, projected to be next year, and it is designed mostly for anthropology, biology and neuroscience majors. It can be expanded to other students who are interested in this area. The course will focus on non-human primates, specifically Japanese macaques.”
Tuesday night was First-Time Traveler: A Guide to Going Abroad in Bowman Hall. Students had the chance to discover resources and tips to help them in deciding which education abroad program is the best fit for them and applying for their passports.
Fall in Love with Florence and Study Abroad in Japan Info Sessions took place on Wednesday, where students who are considering spending a semester at the Kent State Florence Center or in Japan could learn more about spending the summer or semester there.
Wednesday concluded with Grow with Education Abroad: Succulent Planting, where students got the chance to plant succulents and learn about the study abroad program in the Kent Student Center. Students were provided with paints and a small pot to decorate; they were able to plant their own succulent and take it home with them.
