Prior to her first trip overseas, Jamey Yeager had embarked on family vacations to cruise destinations such as Jamaica and Mexico. Yeager’s maiden global adventure took her to Japan, a 7,000-mile journey made possible by the study abroad program at Polk State College (Florida).
Yeager, who recently graduated with her associate degree, traveled to Japan in May as part of a humanities course that studied the nation’s customs and culture. Alongside the usual whirlwind of shopping, site visits and cultural immersion, the 10-day program encouraged students to be travelers rather than tourists.
This article comes from the current issue of the Community College Journal, which is published bimonthly by the American Association of Community Colleges.
To that end, Yeager and her friends took public transportation and put into practice phrases such as “Thank you” and “Where is the bathroom?” Although Yeager’s Japan connection was limited to her sister’s interest in video games and anime, she thought the country would make for a unique first passport stamp.
“I figured it was an opportunity that not many people could take,” says Yeager. “There’s a reason why you have the title of student while in college, because you’re still learning. There’s no better way to do that than see the world first-hand.”
Study abroad is widely recognized in higher education as a high-impact practice that exposes learners to new ideas, locations and cultures. In an April survey by global engagement platform provider Terra Dotta, about 90% of student participants called study abroad “somewhat or very important” to their personal and professional growth.
These students further pointed to adaptability and resilience (58%), cross-cultural communication (50%) and problem-solving (48%) as skills they learned while in-country. Equipping students for the international marketplace is especially critical for individuals who, in some cases, have never ventured beyond their home state, notes Kimberly Simpson, program coordinator of global initiatives at Polk State.
“We are preparing students for the global workforce with international experience that employers seek,” Simpson says. “There are many international companies located in Polk County — students with that experience can deal with working across currencies and time zones because they’ve already been introduced to them.”
Building capacity
Polk State offers exchanges to destinations across all world regions: England, Brazil, Morrocco, Panama and more. Programs run five to 14 nights during spring and summer, with administrators collaborating alongside faculty and foreign contacts to select optimal destinations for each academic field.
Ahead of a recent excursion to Guadeloupe, for example, Polk State partnered with the University of the Antilles through a Transatlantic Mobility Program grant. The cross-cultural faculty team developed curriculum around water quality and fauna in the south Caribbean island chain.
The college’s overseas programs, curtailed for nearly three years by Covid, returned to full operation in 2024. With more students hesitant to study abroad, Polk State is hoping to extend outreach through a recently acquired U.S. Department of State grant.
The college joins 36 other U.S. institutions in receiving the Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) grant. At Polk State, the nearly $35,000 award is earmarked for capacity building in faculty training, developing global alliances, and internationalizing curriculum. Virtual exchanges with the Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida in Mexico are another key initiative supported by the grant.
“It’s about creating these partnerships so our students can use their classroom experiences for hands-on activities,” Simpson says. “They are also meeting students for cross-cultural community opportunities.”
