Katherine Steckel
Undergraduate Marketing major from Alpharetta, GA, received funding toward the Discover Abroad Hawaii Spring Break.
“Sustainability has taught me that absolutely everything is connected. Pollution in our air and oceans doesn’t just disappear, it cycles back into our lives through food, water, air, temperatures, and health. The smallest organisms also have such large impacts in our world, which I feel like a lot of people don’t realize. For example phytoplankton in the ocean or our pollinators like bees are what make life possible. Without them, the systems that sustain us will begin to diminish. This new found awareness has shaped how I see the world and inspired my academics and professional goals- to use marketing and communication as tools to help others understand the simple interconnectedness of our world.”
Million Yohannes
Undergraduate Computer Science major from Powder Springs, GA, received funding toward Franklin Summer at Oxford.
“From a young age, I have always been passionate about learning. As a first-generation Ethiopian-American and a student at the University of Georgia studying Computer Science, I constantly seek opportunities that challenge me to grow academically, professionally, and personally. My goal is to become a software engineer, using technology to drive innovation and create solutions that benefit communities worldwide. The opportunity to study abroad at Oxford is the perfect step in my journey, bringing me closer to these aspirations and offering a unique platform to learn and grow.”
Christian Cartier
Undergraduate Finance major from Roswell, GA, attending UGA Terry Business & Sustainability in Costa Rica.
“This passion for nature, which has continued throughout my life, is not just a personal interest but a driving force behind my academic pursuits and future career goals… I am interested in how sustainable practices can be integrated through ethical investments and financial modeling to create long-term value for both businesses and society. This program will provide me with the groundwork knowledge and skills necessary to someday develop innovative financial solutions that promote environmental stewardship.”
Miral Lakhani
Undergraduate Finance and Management Information Systems major from Ahmedabad, India, attending UGA Discover Abroad Hawaii.
“Travel has always been more than just an opportunity to see new places—it’s been a way for me to witness firsthand how sustainability practices vary across cultures… These experiences have ignited a deep commitment to sustainability within me, one that I aim to integrate into every aspect of my life, education, and future career… By learning from various cultural perspectives on sustainability, I believe we can foster innovative solutions that not only protect the environment but also respect and enhance communities worldwide.”
Aaron Quick
PhD student in Social Work from Cumming, GA, attending UGA Discover Abroad in Australia to study sustainable development.
“I believe we can solve many of the social issues we face today by sharing knowledge from the backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of the diverse people who make up our society. Since childhood, my parents have always valued expanding my brothers’ and my cultural competency… I now understand that issues can be solved by learning from different cultural perspectives. By learning from our differences instead of letting them divide us, we can find solutions to the world’s problems… Participating in the Discover Abroad Australia trip and furthering my academic competency in sustainability and environmental science will allow me to combine my knowledge of social science and policy analysis to uncover informative ways to utilize legislation and policies to progress our country to one that values sustainability. ”
Skylar Perez
Undergraduate Fashion Merchandizing major from St. Simons, GA, attending UGA Discover Abroad in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii.
“I see the value that exists in knowing people who are different from you and digging deep to find kinship. We are all human, and experiencing each other’s’ cultures is the medicine to true connection… It is when we lose sight of each other, devaluing what others find beautiful, that this whole incident of loss of craft takes place. But by just putting in the effort to see other people for who they are, we can work together to preserve ancient craft and to prevent the destruction of culture… I am grateful that a lesson in sustainability opened my eyes to this whole aspect of humanity that exists within all efforts having to do with the planet. Because in the end, embracing sustainable practices comes down to the basic principle of caring for one another.”
Akilah George
Masters student in Agriculture Education from Athens, GA, studying Agriculture, Community, and Organizational Development in Morocco
“Farmers and producers are vital to sustaining healthy foodways and food access. As a global citizen, I am tasked with creating more sustainable agriculture systems. The people producing food for the world should not have to do so at the expense of their well-being and financial stability… To develop genuinely sustainable agriculture and food systems, we must be aware of the global agriculture issues that threaten food sustainability.”
Ally Whiteis
Undergraduate Ecology major from Dallas, GA, attending UGA Discover Abroad to study animal behavior in New Zealand and ecotourism and sustainability in Fiji
“This will allow me to grow as both a person and a scientist. Traveling across the world to places that I have never been before will come with challenges that I hope to learn from and apply to my life at UGA and beyond. This program will also provide me with knowledge of sustainability goals from other countries that I can implement into my everyday life, projects at UGA, and my future career… I strongly believe in doing whatever it takes to preserve the Earth and all it has to offer for future generations.”
No scholarships given due to study abroad program closures due to COVID.
Sofia Franzluebbers
Undergraduate Horticulture major from Watkinsville, GA, attending UGA Discover Abroad Sustainable Development Maymester in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji
“By going to these other countries so different from ours and so strong in the sustainable development field, I would be able to experience different successes and failures, learn from the best, and bring back this knowledge to better our own country in our own fields. By providing me with an other-worldly experience of pristine waters, national parks, and sustainably built towns, this study abroad would personally give me life and motivation to keep working for sustainable goals throughout my life, no matter the hardships or consequences along the way.”
Olivia Wilson
Undergraduate from Rome, GA, double majoring in Ecology and International Affairs, attending UGA Discover Abroad Natural History of the South Pacific Maymester in Australia and New Zealand
“One of the main reasons I applied to the Discover Abroad Maymester in Australia and New Zealand, was that I would get to learn what sustainability means to an entirely different group of communities, on the opposite corner of the world. Learning what sustainability looks like, and the challenges to achieving sustainability, in Australia and New Zealand would be an incredible experience that would prepare me for my future career in law. I would get to learn how to approach environmental problems using a global lens, rather than a limited, local lens.”
Amanda Howard
“Using environmental economics, my goal is to turn sustainability into reality. Internalizing all the costs associated with environmental damages will motivate humans to decrease their emissions and adopt a greener lifestyle. To create the best economic policy or give the best advice, I need to understand how society and nature play off one another from both an ecological and political standpoint. By studying how different cultures are working to accomplish the U.N. Sustainability Development Goals, I will be equipped with the knowledge to become a more effective environmental leader.”
Niki Gajjar
“My primary goal is to make sure that the research I do has real-world implications for environmental justice and conservation. Alongside these goals, I hope to diversify the fields of Ecology and Sustainability so that it can be more accessible to everyone who has an interest in it. I came from a family of immigrants, where it was hard to imagine what career options I had in sustainability and ecology because I never had any examples of people around me who were succeeding in these fields. For this reason, I want to dedicate a large part of my career to diversifying STEM fields by serving as a mentor and volunteer.”
Abigail Pierce
“Taking classes within the sociology, geography, horticulture, and English departments have fueled an interdisciplinary approach to my degree in Agricultural Communication that encourages my continuous curiosity and passions…The UGA Costa Rica Sustainable Agriculture Internship will give me invaluable experiences of working within a community supported agriculture campus where sustainability is the foundation…I hope to take a social and cultural approach to aid and strengthen communities experiencing food insecurity through sustainable community agriculture…The empowerment that I have found through means of agriculture and the growing of food is one that I believe should be shared with all individuals.”
Camille Bennett
“Outdoor experiences have played a critical role in my development and I have gained a genuine appreciation for the natural world. Over time, this appreciation has expanded from simple admiration for the beauty of nature to include a desire to deeply understand ecological processes and to help develop a more sustainable future…The opportunity to travel to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji would allow me to deepen and broaden my comprehension beyond the classroom while gaining international perspectives of new cultures and places…After college, I would like to serve in the Peace Corps which requires well-developed interpersonal skills, adaptability, and confidence. All these qualities would only improve during my study abroad experience.”
Alaina Buschman
“Growing up in Roswell, GA I have fallen in love with the land… and it has motivated me to help sustain and improve the conditions of our beautiful environment.
The opportunity to intern in Costa Rica is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I will gain knowledge and hands-on experience in sustainability, agriculture and cultural psychology. Saint Augustine once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” I am eager to broaden my story with greater perspective on the world and gain the knowledge to make even one small corner of it better.”
Courtney Hogan
“Coming from a single parent household, I was always taught that it’s the little things that matter the most. Because we never had that much money growing up, I typically spent my time playing outside enjoying nature, and as a result, I grew to love it and understand its value.
As a lifelong learner, the Interdisciplinary Field Studies Program will allow me to explore curiosities concerning the natural world and ecological sciences and connect them to my active pursuit of Computer Science. I can protect the environment I know and love and utilize my technical skillset to build a brighter future.”
Katherine Russell
“I chose my selected program, UGA Study Abroad in Freiburg, due to its focus on the connection between culture and sustainability. This program complements my educational goals marvelously well, as I am pursuing a minor in German and want to enhance my ecology degree by investigating how culture affects our relationship with the environment.
I am a first-generation college student driven by a love of my region and its people to determine how we should live in order to conserve our land, our natural heritage, our culture, and our livelihoods. Attending the Freiburg study abroad program would improve my German language fluency and expose me to a city and culture that have fully embraced sustainability, helping me learn how to promote sustainable practices among my own people for the enduring benefit of our land and legacy.”
Jessica Parks
UGA Costa Rica
Dessa Dunn
“To my mother’s dismay, I was the mud-covered child who studied every leaf and flower in her backyard. I wished to “heal the earth” or “save the world”. I became an Environmental Engineering major not only because I have an analytical, problem-solving, and mathematical background but also because I love practicing my skills to solve our nation’s most pressing environmental problems. Although I enjoy the technical and design aspect of my major, I found myself looking for more environmental, sustainable, and natural resources coursework and extracurricular activities.
I decided to apply for UGA Costa Rica’s Tropical Reforestation because the program gives me hope that I can turn my childhood dream into reality and make a difference, no matter how small. I plan on getting my masters and potentially PhD in Ecology and focusing on environmental conservation, remediation, and sustainable methods, and this opportunity based in teamwork and field research is exactly what I see myself doing in years to come.”
Martinique Edwards
“I am fascinated by the concept of symbiosis and how different species coinhabit and interact with one another for health and survival. Currently, I am majoring in ecology and biology and plan to attend graduate school after my undergraduate years, with a potential focus in disease ecology or the human microbiome. One ambition that I hope to pursue is to ultimately promote a greater symbiosis among humans and nature. I feel that the Discover Abroad Maymester in Australia and New Zealand will be an experience that will help quench my curiosity by learning from others’ cultures, such as those of the Aborigine and the Maori, that I do not meet here in the United States as well as by observing and researching the biodiverse ecosystems endemic to Australia and New Zealand. I believe that sustainable development is key as we head into the future with an increasing global population. The infrastructure that we build from here on out should have some component that would be considered environmentally friendly, whether it be that our development expansion uses cleaner sources of energy, is formed out of recycled material, encourages compost and recycling, or takes other measures to reduce the destructive footprint on nature.”
Walker Tuten
UGA Discover Abroad – Australia and New Zealand
Rachel Durham
UGA Costa Rica
Zachary Holmes
UGA Discover Abroad – New Zealand
Erin Lawless
China: Global Sourcing of Soft Goods
Joni Troxel
UGA Discover Abroad – Australia and New Zealand
Chad Landon
UGA Costa Rica
