If you’ve been following us, you’ll note that it’s been a bit quiet here on the Mount’s Travel Blog since our group of students (and Fr. Jim Donohue) returned from Prague last fall. Over the spring semester and summer months, we went back to the drawing board to re-imagine what our Foreign Study program looks like at Mount St. Mary’s. Exciting things are coming for Mount students who wish to study abroad so keep a look out for posts regarding opportunities to study abroad over Spring Break (we have 3 trips forming this academic year), over the summer (we’re headed back to Salzburg), or for a full semester.
This fall, we have about 50 Mountaineers studying in Dublin, Ireland. The group is being led by Mount faculty members Dr. Dana Ward (School of Natural Science and Mathematics) and Dr. Michelle Patterson (College of Liberal Arts). As in semesters past, we have a few students who will be blogging about their adventures abroad. Their posts will begin this week, so be on the lookout for some insights into Irish Pub Culture, understanding family roots, a look at the beauty of Ireland, and all the great craic our students get into this semester! Each student is writing about something personal and interesting to them within the context of studying and living in Dublin for the next few months. I won’t steal their glory by revealing much more, except to say that Sam, Maddie, Eden, and Mason have some really interesting angles that they will explore over the next several weeks as they go on excursions, attend class, and undoubtedly raise a few glasses in the local pubs.
For the spring, two trips are in their final planning stages: Students can study in Cuenca, Ecuador (trip led by Dr. Diana Rodriguez-Lozano) with the option to visit the Galápagos Islands or in Florence, Italy (trip led by Dr. Alejandro Canadas) with a side-trip to Rome.
Having the opportunity to study abroad is a life-changing experience, and Mount St. Mary’s is committed to helping students to become more aware of world cultures through its Foreign Study programs as we strive to form ethical leaders in service to God and others. We hope you’ll tag along this semester to see what our students are up to in Ireland and to learn more about studying abroad with the Mount! Make sure to follow us on Instagram, @MSMUtravels
