Grand Valley State University’s Grand River Room filled with stories from around the globe as the annual Study Abroad Fair provided students with information to study abroad.

Students and program coordinators from GVSU programs offered in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and South America were present, along with students who have completed the programs.

Gabe Schirm is an outreach coordinator for Globalinks Abroad. Schirm helps students work through their concerns to achieve their dreams of studying abroad.

“Inevitably there is a moment that you can hear in their voice, or see in their face, when they light up with excitement because they see that this dream is not only possible but something they are going to get to do,” Schirm said. “That is an incredible moment and extremely rewarding for me because I know what a life-changing experience is ahead of them.”

Schirm also offered advice to students at his table who were already signed up to go abroad.

“Try the food,” Schirm said. “One of the best ways to get to the soul of a culture and discover a new place is through the kitchen.”

Katrina McEntee, a liberal studies major at GVSU, traveled to South Africa in the summer of 2012 to enhance her learning experience.

“It made sure I was on the right path here at GV, and that I can make a difference,” McEntee said. “Making a difference doesn’t have to have an Earth-shattering event, it doesn’t even have to make the news to count.”

The students who come back from travels abroad all have memories that will last a lifetime. Brittany Garza, a business management major at GVSU, spent a summer in India to experience a place she thought she would never get another opportunity to visit.

“It has shown me how blessed I am,” Garza said. “Things that used to seem like major life disasters to me are now small inconveniences now that I’ve realized how fortunate I am.”

Garza mentioned that studying abroad offers students the chance to experience cultures completely different from that of the United States.

One of the most interesting experiences Garza had while abroad in India was crossing the street.

“It seems so simple, but being in a country where road lines are a suggestion and cars will stop for a cow before a human was very scary,” Garza said. “I wasn’t comfortable with it the first few times.”

Students who travel abroad often end up creating very meaningful connections with the native people of the countries they visit.

McEntee was paired with a native partner, a 12-year-old girl named Xena. Students in her program were matched with partners to help tutor them with math and English.

“I fell in love with her almost instantly,” McEntee said. “She would write me little notes and I would draw pictures for her.”

McEntee and Xena became very close during her time in Manenburg, South Africa.

“The last day we were together I just held onto her and wept,” McEntee said. “She changed me, in the best way a person can be changed.”

Stories and memories like the ones that Garza and McEntee shared are common of students who study abroad.

“Go. Do it now,” McEntee said. “Do it while you are young and brave and confident.”

Students who missed the Study Abroad Fair can stop by the Padnos International Center office in Lake Ontario Hall or go online to www.gvsu.edu/studyabroad for more information.

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