It was a summer to remember for more than 300 Cal State Fullerton Titans who traveled to all corners of the globe as participants in study abroad programs through CSUF’s Study Abroad & Global Engagement department.
Alongside engaging academics that provide degree advancement, the students were able to immerse themselves in other cultures, an opportunity that enriches all aspects of their college experience.
Second-year communications major Dulce Garcilazo had never been out of the country before she embarked this summer on a monthlong study abroad trip to Barcelona, Spain. In addition to taking classes in intercultural communications and reality television, led by CSUF faculty, Garcilazo’s class of 18 students took in the works of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso and explored all parts of the region, including the city’s Gothic Quarter.
Through the smaller student-to-faculty ratio, the curriculum came alive for Garcilazo as she was no longer reading about international experiences but living them herself. And as a commuter student, she appreciated the opportunity to build stronger connections with her fellow Titans.
“I’ve definitely made a lot of amazing friends, as well as made great connections with my professors,” Garcilazo said. “If you struggle to get out of your comfort zone on your own, this is something that doesn’t force it but is a nice, easy transition. I would say take the chance, take the risk because you never know if you don’t take it the great experience you’ll have.”
MBA student Aya Morales jumped at the chance to study abroad through CSUF after missing out on an opportunity during her undergraduate years at the University of San Francisco. While she had traveled to Europe before, Morales had never been to Florence, Italy, and it was her time in Tuscany that showed her global marketing through a new lens.
“Putting the global marketing curriculum into the context of a different country and culture really puts it into…
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