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Buffs AbroadIssue 9BUFFSabroadOffice of Study AbroadSSC 115Awtamu.edu/studyabroadFall 2018Florence Cathedral and view of city. Source: pexels.comSpeaking from Experience:A President’s Perspective onStudy AbroadCarolina GallowayItaly on a program led by Dr. Wendlerand another faculty member. StudentsAs a professor in the College ofwere required to enroll in 12 creditArchitecture at Texas A&M, Dr. Walterhours, which included courses likeWendler had the opportunity to lead aDesign, Structures, and Italiansemester-long study abroad program.Architecture History. The program alsoThe experience, which he referred to asremarkable on more than one occasion, included activities with the localmade an impact not only on the students community. Wendler laughed as heparticipating in the program, but also in recalled playing soccer against the localshis and his family’s lives. As he described – and losing to them every time. “ThoseItalians can play soccer,” he said.his most memorable moments, I sawreflection in his eyes. That’s when theSince early in his career as a facultywords of John Maxwell started tomember, Wendler has knownresonate in my head: “A leader is oneinternational experiences are highlywho knows the way, goes the way, and beneficial to students. “[Students] got toshows the way.” Based on his ownsee the broader world, especially from anexperience, Wendler shared lessonsarchitecture perspective,” he said. Helearned, challenges encountered, and the expressed that this was an opportunitybenefits of studying abroad, a valuablefor him to help students extend theirmessage to faculty, students, parents,vision of the world and discover what aand the community as a whiole.foreign place had to offer. What WendlerIn the spring semester of 1984, 75Texas Aggies studied in Firenze, Florence,(cont. page 2)IN THIS ISSUE:Speaking From Experience—APresident’s Perspective on StudyAbroad: Pgs. 1-2Tori Grist - Study Abroad Shaped MyLife: Pgs. 3-4Buffs Abroad Photo 2018 ContestWinners: Pgs. 5-8FACULTY-LED PROGRAMS 18-19: Incredible India, India, 12/31/18—01/13/19 Scandinavia 2019, Denmark/Sweden, 5/10—5/22 Spanish Immersion and Service Learning,Dominican Republic, 5/10—5/22 Contextualized Practice, Hong Kong, 5/12—5/23 How Museums and Cultural Institutions are Impacted by Media and Social Media, UK/France, 5/13—5/26WTAMU Ag Spanish, Panama, 5/13—5/22Ag in Australia, Australia, 5/14—5/30Justice, History and the Arts, TheNetherlands, 5/16—5/26Designing and Deploying of Battery Systems,India, 5/25—6/10Politics, Psychology, and Culture, China5/29—6/7“Las Clavellinas” Initiative, Mexico, differentdates throughout summerEnglish Graduate Program, UK, 6/3—7/1Go Global, Italy, 6/9—6/19Art Within Reach, Mexico, 6/15—6/22For more, visit our Faculty-led programs page.WANDERLUST: (n) a strong desire or urge to travel & explore the world.Office of Study Abroad Student Success Center 115A 806.651.5309 wtamu.edu/studyabroad studyabroad@wtamu.edu

Buffs AbroadIssue 9Speaking from experience (cont.)found most interesting was the fact thatbeing in a new environment did not shockstudents as much as he had expected. Heargues it is because “as human beings wehave a tremendous amount in common.”Wendler believes international travelreinforces the value of individuals. Hestated that these experiences areimportant in the development of insightand critical thinking. “They reinforce, forme, how important the education of thewhole human being is,” Wendler said.For Wendler, leading a study abroadprogram was greatly rewarding. It helpedhim connect with and understandstudents at a different level. Wendlerexplains that in a traditional course taughton campus, students come to class buttheir interaction with their professorsusually ends when they leave theclassroom. However, on an immersivestudy abroad program, the faculty leaderbecomes a mentor and students usuallyseek their faculty leader’s guidance, evenfor personal matters. Thus, he believesstudy abroad allow experiences faculty toget to know students individually andeven learn some of the concerns theyhave about life. His advice to faculty wholead programs is simple: “Be ready forthings that will surprise you as a facultymember because you are dealing with thestudents’ personal lives.”Wendler thinks that studying abroadcan have a huge impact on people. As aprofessor and mentor of this group, hewitnessed a transformational change thatoccurred to one of the participants.Wendler recalls a student named Robert,who one night was just standing in frontof the fireplace, homesick. The studenthad never left home before, had neverbeen away from his family, and had nevereven been on a plane. Wendler describedthe moment when he spoke to Robert,encouraging him to persevere andreassuring him that things would be fine.And they were; Wendler said Robertsuccessfully completed the program inFlorence. Then, Wendler continued, “In1996, I was at an AIA convention inBoston. At the time, I was still at A&M andhe [lived] in Dallas. We met at thisconvention and he told me that the mostimportant experience of his life was goingaway and being on his own [on thatprogram].” Wendler said that eventhough it is important to make progresstoward an academic degree whilestudying abroad, the other skills peoplelearn on such experiences are essential asDr. Walter Wendlerwell. “I know he learned some stuff, butthat day of the AIA convention, 10 yearslater, what he told me was that thisexperience changed his life and gave hima completely different view of the world.This had a tremendous impact on me.”Similar to Robert, some of ourstudents have not had the opportunity totravel abroad. In a number of cases,students may be hesitant aboutexperiences that push them outside oftheir comfort zone; in other cases,parents may be apprehensive about theseopportunities. Wendler believes theseapprehensions are often well founded andthinks it is because when “students are offon their own, the level of supervision isdifferent.” That is why, he thinks, astudent needs to understand personalresponsibility and the importance ofappropriate decision making if they wishto study abroad. Wendler alsorecommends that, as an institution, wemust help students prepare for studyabroad and assure the parents theirstudents will continue making progresstowards their academic degree andprofessional aspirations. “When peopleunderstand that this can contribute tolearning directly, they get it,” he said.Wendler believes that internationalprograms give a chance for students tosee and understand that the world is largeand is different than their hometown. “Itis a big world out there, but there aremany similarities. You can go into theAISD where more than 41 languages arespoken and that gives you a little bit offlavor, but it doesn't give the wholeexperience,” he says.Sitting with Dr. Wendler for thisinterview was a great privilege for me.After hearing him speak of his ownexperience, I got curious about one lastthing, so I asked him: if you were acollege student today and could goanywhere in the world to study, wherewould you go and why? I did not expect aspecific country to be named, yet hisanswer took me by surprise: “InArchitecture, typically students wouldtake the Grand Tour of Europe. But Iwould take Horace Greeley’s advice, ‘Gowest, young man.’ That’s where thefuture is. Knowing what I know now, Iwould likely get on the Pacific Rim andgo to Vietnam, China, Taiwan, or Japan.I’ve been there before and these placesare intriguing, especially Vietnam. Thereis so much entrepreneurialism in bothNorth and South Vietnam, in myexperience, and there is so much to learnthere. Take a risk, try something new.”The original interview wasedited for length and clarity.Office of Study Abroad Student Success Center 115A 806.651.5309 wtamu.edu/studyabroad studyabroad@wtamu.edu

Buffs AbroadIssue 9Tori Grist: How Study Abroad Shaped My LifeTory GristBologna, and Florence, and it was muchcheaper than other programs in largercities. This program also had severalcourses that fit my degree program atWT, yet allowed me to take some funcourses as well, such as my Italiancooking course. Though I studied abroadto gain more independence, theprogram provider, USAC, supported mein almost every aspect of their timeabroad, including applying for a visa,getting housing, taking a languagecourse, and getting a residency permit. Igot so lucky to be in a program where Iwas given the opportunity to enjoytraveling and meeting new peoplewithout having to figure out the moredifficult things alone. The program hadover 60 participants, mostly Americansand only two boys. I originally wasThat change started in the Spring terrified about my ability to makeof 2016. I spent the semester studyingfriends with this group, but it took lessabroad in Reggio Emilia, Italy throughScooter Tour in Rome.than a week for me to make someUSAC. Studying in Italy gave me a chance amazing travel companions and life-long Courtesy of Tori Gristto chase my “Roman Holiday” and “Lizzie friends. The group I became a part ofMcGuire Movie” dream. I wanted to ride was an eclectic one, and everyone’s weirdto Florence, but missed our stop, and, byon the back of a scooter, enjoying thejust kind of meshed well together. Wethe time we had figured out where wesites of Roma. I decided to live in the little travelled to several different countrieswere, it actually made more sense to staycity of Reggio Emilia because it had atogether, ate a ridiculous amount ofon the train all the way to Rome than tosimilar population to Amarillo, it wasNutella and gelato, and even accidentally try to find a return to Florence.located by train fairly close to Milan,went to Rome. We had gone on a day tripStudying abroad was a mix ofamazing adventures and I wouldn’tchange any of it. However, I didn’t learnItalian, and I didn’t make friends with anyof the locals. Because of this, I wanted toreturn to Europe after I graduated fromWTAMU. When I got a job as an au pair, asort of nanny abroad, in Germany, I wasexcited for the chance to move abroadagain. I wanted to go back to an area Ihad visited and fallen in love with, as wellas learn the language my grandmothergrew up speaking.I own a pair of black WTAMUsweatpants that are a size too big for me.Originally, I bought them for footballgames and late nights studying in the JBK,but I still wear them around Germany inwinter, though it’s considered weird. Theyremind me of home. I had to adjust theway I dressed when I moved abroad,including wearing more dresses andhaving warmer clothes for the Germanwinter. I always tell people that, first andforemost, I’m a proud Texan, however,that is no longer the entire aspect of myidentity. When I studied abroad, itchanged my entire perspective about theworld around me, and I can see thosechanges in almost every aspect of mydaily life.Living abroad as an au pair wasdefinitely an entirely different experiencethan studying abroad. I had to budget alot more, I was no longer surrounded byAmericans, and I moved with my 4 lb dog,Ruins in Rome.Courtesy of Tori Grist(cont. page 4)Office of Study Abroad Student Success Center 115A 806.651.5309 wtamu.edu/studyabroad studyabroad@wtamu.edu