Global travelers

Every year, the Honors Program sends about 60 students to various parts of the globe through the Honors International Scholars Program (HISP). The scholarship supports second- and third-year Honors students with funding ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. Our students have used HISP funding to participate in traditional study abroad programs, university-to-university exchanges, language institutes, internships, and research and public service projects. This year, the greatest number of scholarships went to students traveling to Italy (seven), Costa Rica (five), and Australia (five). Overall, our students went to at least 31 countries, as seen on the map at right. On the next few pages, our students highlight what made their trips special.

Mary Landry Peru Medical Maymester

While participating in UGA’s Peru Medical Maymester, senior Mary Landry experienced the history, culture, and medical environment of the area. With stops first in Cusco to see the Incan ruins and Aguas Calientes to take in the ancient Macchu Piccu, the majority of the program saw her shadowing in the hospital in Trujillo for four hours in the mornings and taking a course in medical Spanish to improve communication and understanding in the afternoons. “Shadowing in Spanish in a foreign country not only gave me experience in the field but also gave me some insight into both the privileges we have in our healthcare system in the U.S. as well as the unique challenges different countries face in providing quality healthcare,” Mary said.

24 UGA HONORS PROGRAM MAGAZINE FALL 2019 Steven McMullen France, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

When junior Steven McMullen found out he would be going to France to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, he realized how important the trip was for understanding his advertising and public relations career path. “I got to walk through a career I had previously only read about," Steven said. "My future will forever be impacted by the personalities I grew to collaborate with and the minds at work before me on this trip. The Cannes 2019 Study Abroad group, 57 students strong, offers an unbelievably vital critique system. I wouldn’t have traded them for anyone.”

Kevin Williams Interdisciplinary Maymester in Tanzania

Senior Kevin Williams traveled through Tanzania studying subjects like anthropology and cross-cultural psychology, with stops to take in the sites and culture in Moshi, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti. “All these immersive experiences along with what I learned directly from UGA professors have impacted my own thought processes regarding topics of humanity, its history and future, psychology, neuroscience, and daily life,” Kevin said. “The combination of these experiences and the influences that I see and continue to find have proven my participation in this Maymester to be a lifechanging experience for me.”

Aarati Shah Thailand, ELI Dental Internship

Senior Aarati Shah, right, traveled to Thailand to intern under dentistry and oral surgery specialists at Rajavej Hospital in Chiang Mai. While there, she was able to connect her knowledge of U.S. dentistry practices to the similar practices in Thailand while also taking in Thai language, culture, religion, and local traditions. “By explaining the significance behind each procedure, the patient felt more confident in the decision they are making,” Aarati said. “I hope I can serve both as an educator and an advocate for my future patients.”

FIRST PERSON with fourth-year Honors student

Jan Joho Switzerland, visiting student researcher

"This past summer, I had the opportunity to spend two months in Switzerland as a member of the Honors International Scholars Program. It was an intense, immersive experience in the culture and heritage of the country, allowing me to practice my German and French language skills while working as a visiting student researcher in the economics department at the University of St. Gallen.

For the past year, I have been working as a research assistant to Dr. Daniel Rettl in the finance department in Terry. I developed a passion for research because it allows me to apply my business training beyond the classroom to find creative solutions and insights to challenges faced by society today. In Switzerland, I began an independent project to examine how investments in environmental initiatives impact the share price and investor valuations for oil and gas companies. Since Switzerland is one of Europe’s leading financial hubs, being there allowed me to examine how Eurocentric firms are using their market power to tackle environmental degradation.

I was able to explore beyond the four walls of a classroom and learn how the private sector can use its economic influence to address and solve critical issues facing society. I presented my research at a conference in Trento, Italy, hosted by the Institute for New Economic Thinking, a New York-based thinktank. With a wide array of international participants, the conference was an opportunity to learn how different regions of the world are tackling environmental problems through an economic lens. I then took my taste buds on a research experience of their own, studying and trying out cuisines from a variety of cultures. Overall, this summer was instrumental in allowing me to become more knowledgeable on many social, political, and economic issues while getting to interact with a diverse array of people and experience a vast variety of cultures."

Alexandria Pinckney Costa Rica, Surf and Sustainability Program Alex Pinckney, a senior who embarked on the Surf and Sustainability program, took surf lessons and two courses this past summer. She learned much about herself during the nearly daily excursions into the ocean and experiences interacting with the locals and the nature of Costa Rica than she thought she would, and came back to the U.S. even more connected to the environment. “Every day, I had to wake up with a renewed confidence that I could handle the ocean, paddle strongly, stand up, and ride the waves,” said Alex. “I had to dig deep and channel parts of myself that I did not know existed… But when you finally stand up, and feel the energy of the ocean lift you up and push you forward, the world stops spinning, and you feel like you can do anything.”

Madison Read Ghana, FACS Ghana Service-Learning Program This past summer, senior Madison Read was eager to travel in order to learn more about medicine and children’s healthcare practices abroad. By participating in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Ghana Service-Learning Program, she was able to shadow doctors, interact with patients, and adapt to the clinical environment in new and collaborative ways. “I am walking away from this summer more equipped to relate to diverse groups of people and with a confirmed calling to medicine,” Madison said. “As the weeks progressed, I could feel myself gaining confidence and developing my own patient-care style—something that will serve me greatly as I engage with patients one day.”

Anthony Potts South Africa, Lawyers for Human Rights Internship Junior Anthony Potts, front row, in navy and red striped shirt, traveled to South Africa this summer to intern for the Lawyers for Human Rights organization. While abroad, he learned about the needs of refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, traveled through beautiful saharas and deserts, experienced living on his own in a new place, and learned more about issues of race, privilege, and customs. “Beyond the importance of my professional experiences, my time in South Africa shaped me as a person, as I was completely immersed in a different yet powerful culture,” said Anthony. “The office at Lawyers for Human Rights was warm and welcoming, a spirit that is essential in the field of refugee law. It made my work and life in South Africa much more meaningful, and I made many strong connections and friendships that I will keep forever.”

Xinyu Shi Hungary, Budapest Semester in Mathematics The Budapest Semester in Mathematics program presented a prestigious academic challenge for senior Xinyu Shi, a challenge she tackled head-on, enjoying the sites and culture of Europe along the way. Hailing from China, Xinyu experienced a secondary foreign environment on top of the one she is familiar with as an international student at UGA, but that didn’t stop her from making new friends, working hard in her graph theory and combinatorics classes, and exploring her options, including setting her sights on a future graduate education in statistics. “Being immersed in the mathematical environment really trained my critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities,” Xinyu said. “Upon my return from Budapest, I felt reinvigorated and ready to face whatever challenges this next year would bring me. Sometimes challenging oneself is the best way to evolve as a person.”