“It’s interesting to see how Australians think of American culture,” Romania said. “We had great conversations about the differences in our cultural understanding.”
While in Australia, she got accepted to study abroad in Ireland again the following fall semester, where she had always wanted to go. After a year away from University Park, Romania is on track to finish a dual degree.
“I was lucky that most of the credits I took abroad will be able to count for my major,” Romania said. “Planning ahead is definitely an important step to take before you go abroad. ”
The different curriculum and grading structure in Ireland was one of the biggest challenges she had to face, but it also provided her the experience of being able to take classes alongside local students and an exposure to the campus culture.
“In Ireland, it’s not about individual performances, but more of the class as a whole,” Romania said.
She currently works as a peer mentor in Global Ambassadors, helping Penn State students sort out study abroad plans. She is also a Schreyer Honors Scholar and a Paterno Fellow
“The question that I get asked by students the most is, ‘Where should I study abroad?’ ” Romania said. “And I always tell them, ‘It doesn’t matter where you choose as destination; it’s the journey that really matters. Be sure to make the most of it.’ ”
With the help of technology, Romania said she was still able to stay close in touch with friends and family while she was abroad. “Before I never really thought about leaving home, but now I just want to live abroad.”
Melinda Szkaradnik, a senior in print journalism and Spanish, studied abroad in Granada, Spain. By living with a local family who doesn’t really speak any English, she was forced to speak Spanish daily.
“It was a great experience for me,” Szkaradnik said. “I started learning Spanish in eighth grade. But I learned so much more day-to-day use of Spanish while I was there even just for one semester. When I came back, my Spanish professor said to me, ‘Mindy, your Spanish has improved so much!’
“It’s tempting to stay in the circle of your own culture while you are abroad. But challenging yourself to step out is worth the effort,” Szkaradnik added.
Bringing awareness among students and faculty
As president of Global Ambassadors, Szkaradnik said a lot of what the organization does is visit first-year seminars and classes to give presentations on Study Abroad 101.
“We also host a Education Abroad Fair every fall where students could come talk with former participates from different programs depends on their own interests,” she explained.
“I really encourage faculty members to schedule a presentation with us and motivate students to study abroad,” Szkaradnik said. “I’ve grown so much as a person while I was there and would definitely recommend every undergraduate student to study abroad once during their college career.
“I would especially encourage students to look into non-traditional locations because there’re more funding available,” she said. “It will be a greater cultural enrichment experience, too.”