Bonaventure students on the most recent Sorrento trip
Photo Courtesy of @studysorrentosbu on Instagram
BY: ELIZABETH KAMROWSKI, STAFF WRITER
St. Bonaventure University students have the opportunity to travel to Oxford, England; Salamanca, Spain; and Sorrento, Italy through the university’s study abroad programs, allowing them to experience new cultures while earning college credit.
The Francis E. Kelley Oxford Program is directed by Mike Jones-Kelley, a lecturer in the Jandoli School of Communication. Anne Lee, another lecturer in the Jandoli School, is the associate director. This program takes place from June 28 to Aug. 9, 2024.
At Oxford, students live and take classes at Trinity College, located in Cambridge, England. The college is close to shops, lecture halls, libraries and dozens of restaurants.
Students can take three classes, but it is suggested by professors that they take two. These classes fit into Bonaventure’s general requirement plans, said Lee. These classes are taught by a mix of Oxford and Bonaventure professors.
Lee said that the living experiences students gain in England are just as important as what they learn in the classes.
“You’re not just going to study in Oxford, you’re going to live there,” said Lee. “The students learn to live in Oxford like they’re residents.”
Some of the destinations in this program include London, England, Stonehenge and the Harry Potter studio. Included in this experience is a four-day away weekend that allows students to travel to locations of their choosing, said Lee.
In the past, students have traveled to Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; and Prague, Czech Republic.
There is an application process for this program that requires students to get two references. These typically come from faculty members. The first wave of acceptances will come out by Christmas 2023, according to Bonaventure’s website.
Lee said that Oxford provides students with real-life education.
“What it aims to do is give you a solid education in more than just subjects,” said Lee. “It gives you a living experience, and it gives you a travel experience.”
Alva Cellini, professor of world languages and cultural studies, is the director of the study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain. This program will take place from May 23 to June 25, 2024.
Students will earn six credits in Spanish while in this program. To participate in this trip, students are required to have completed Spanish 102, the capstone of Bonaventure’s lowest-level spanish sequence.
“They are there to learn the language progressively, and to get the level of proficiency,” said Cellini. “They can speak to other people. They can communicate, and they can learn.”
Students who attend this trip live with selected Spanish families, unless traveling to excursions, where they stay in hotels. These excursions include Toledo, Segovia, Madrid, Portugal and historical sites.
“They are immersed 24/7 in the language,” said Cellini.
Applications for this program are due Nov. 30.
Maya Henderson, a senior political science major who attended this program in the past, said that she learned a lot about the Spanish culture.
“I learned so much Spanish language and culture in one month than I could’ve ever anticipated,” said Henderson. “All classes were conducted solely in Spanish, which was a refreshing shift from how Spanish is traditionally taught in America.”
Cellini said that this experience abroad can help students discover what they really want in life.
“I think it is something really unique,” said Cellini. “To have that experience abroad, to have been there [in Spain] to explore and discover.”
Anna Bulszewicz, a lecturer in the Jandoli School, is the director of the summer study in Sorrento, Italy. This trip will take place from June 30 to Aug. 3, 2024.
“It is about stepping back in time to when things were a lot simpler,” said Bulszewicz. “The Italian way is family and love.”
Students learn in the real world, rather than in the classroom, according to Bulszewicz. The schedule is three days of classes, called mobile-learning excursions, and the rest of the week is independent time for students.
Some of the excursions include Pompeii, Rome and a generations-old Amalfi Coast coffee-roasting factory, according to Bonaventure’s website.
“The point is to give you structure, and then give you enough off time so you have balance,” said Bulszewicz.
Richard Williams, a senior broadcast journalism major, previously attended this trip. He said that he enjoyed the balance while in Italy.
“I liked the freedom that the program offered to the students and having so many opportunities to explore the vast history of the area,” said Williams.
Williams said that he appreciates the connections he made while in Italy.
“If students go, they will not only make lifelong friends with other Bonaventure students but create new friendships with the locals in Sorrento,” said Williams.
There is an application process associated with this trip that includes references, an interview, a questionnaire and a deposit. Twelve students will be selected to participate in this experience. The final cost to students will be $7,600, not including airfare and spending money.
Bulszewicz said that she hopes this trip helps students realize what they are meant to be doing, and what they are meant to become.
“My goal is that they never forget their glistening summer along the Amalfi coast,” said Bulszewicz.
kamrowes23@bonaventure.edu
