Studying abroad in Jamaica was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Isabella Falcingo said during the “I, Too, Am Study Abroad” panel discussion on Sept. 25.

The panel discussion was made of six students that had participated in a variety of programs Oswego State has to offer, including summers or semesters abroad and week-long, faculty-led courses.

“I had an amazing time [studying abroad], and I absolutely do not regret it at all,” Falcingo said.

Associate Director of Education Abroad Lizette Alvarado was the mediator of the panel discussion. Her job at Oswego State is to promote, recruit and send students abroad to other countries. She works to get students from underrepresented groups to study abroad.

“I am very passionate about my job,” Alvarado said. “Even in the most stressful times, I can still tell my coworkers in my office that I still love my job. I love sending students to study abroad in other countries.”

Alvarado said many students come back after studying abroad and say they have learned about themselves.

For most students, there are five factors that influence a student’s decision-making before studying abroad: friends, family, fears, funds and fit, Alvarado said.

For Angelina Colone, who studied abroad in Australia last semester, it was the fear of being far away from New York.

“If something happened, it’s not like my parents could fly there within a few hours and be there,” Colone said.

Once abroad, Falcingo was volunteering at local schools, including an elementary school and a daycare. She said her biggest challenge was a lack of resources.

“I was supposed to give a lesson plan and do numerous literacy activities with the students,” Falcingo said. “My program gave me all the supplies needed for teaching. What they gave me was a folder with eight crayons, two colored pencils and one marker. That’s all I had to teach a classroom of children.”

The students that were in the classroom came in with empty backpacks, Falcingo said.

“When I think about how I grew up in an elementary school, I had access to any kind of material I wanted,” Falcingo said. “I overcame that challenge by watching the students be so happy with what they had. They were so excited I was there, and I wanted to help them. They didn’t notice that I couldn’t give them anything. It gave me a lot of hope.”

Falcingo also had to learn how to think of creative ways in how to teach the kids with the limited resources.

Time management was Colone’s biggest challenge while studying abroad, but she learned how to manage everything in a couple weeks.

“I was working 20 hours a week, taking four classes while trying to travel every weekend, go out and do fun things and see the city I was living in,” Colone said. “If you’re really into traveling and seeing things, you will figure out what you want to do and how to manage your time.”

Language barriers were a challenge for a few of the study abroad students on the panel, including Micah Pasinski, who studied in Madrid, Spain. With most of his professors, his host mother and internship coordinators speaking Spanish, he said he found himself lost.

Before he left, he had figured out how to communicate effectively and was able to hold conversations in Spanish.

“The best way to learn the language is to stay with a host mom or a host family because you’re immersed in it and you learn the most about the culture,” Pasinski said. “Even though in the beginning it was hard, it was an eye-opening experience.”

Colone visited Thailand while studying abroad and said it was completely different than Australia. He said he was amazed.

“You should take chances and go to places you are scared to go but want to see,” Colone said. “Going there, I wanted to see other countries and Asia. Seeing the things they do and the way they live is amazing.”

Studying abroad challenges students’ identities, Falcingo said.

“It shows you different aspects of your identity you may have never seen before or taken for granted,” Falcingo said.

Colone visited Thailand while studying abroad and said it was completely different than Australia. She said she was amazed. 

“You should take chances and go to places you are scared to go but want to see,” Colone said. “Going there, I wanted to see other countries and Asia. Seeing the things they do and the way they live is amazing.”

Studying abroad challenges students’ identities, Falcingo said.

“It shows you different aspects of your identity you may have never seen before or taken for granted,” Falcingo said.

Photo by Maria Pericozzi | The Oswegonian