August 30, 2022
To:
Faith Judkins made the most of her opportunity when she traveled to Rennes, France, as her study abroad program resumed this summer at the Tennessee Institute of Technology.
A finance major with two minors in International Business and Business Administration, Judkins is a soon-to-be graduate from DeKalb County who will apply the lessons he learned abroad and in tech to his new career.
“After graduating in December of this year, I am interested in consumer banking at a community bank,” said Judkins.
This was Judkins’ first time participating in a study abroad program, and he attended three programs for two weeks each during his stay in France. Her programs included cross-cultural management, sustainable business, and doing business in Europe.
“What I loved most about my program was the community of peers, faculty and staff,” said Judkins. “I have met some of the most caring people abroad who have had a lasting impact on my education.”
Judkins said her experience studying abroad provided her with many opportunities to learn and grow in the classroom, including visiting many historical sights and simply traveling from the airport to her home in France.
She likes trying new local restaurants and said her favorite food is galette saucis, a type of French street food. The French are famous for their crepes, and galettesauce is a hot her sausage wrapped in a buckwheat crepe.
“From my experience abroad, the one I knew best was Paris because it is so tourist-dense and reflects capitalism the most, which means there are pushy trinkets sellers. So in restaurants, serving good food as quickly as possible is a priority,” said Judkins. “All other parts of France prioritize quality at a leisurely pace. I prefer the latter.”
The difference that Judkins found abroad was that people were more closed off at first. They prefer social distancing with strangers, but after a week or so, they open up, she said.
“Americans open up more quickly at first, but it takes months or years to get to the heart of someone,” Judkins said. and is summarized by the notion that France has a coconut culture.
Amy Miller, assistant director of the study abroad office, said she gets positive feedback from students who say they would definitely want to try again if they could.
“Most students tell me that studying abroad was their best college experience. Current returning students say the same thing,” Miller said.
Judkins had previously traveled abroad to Haiti, so the experience was not completely unknown. There were others.
Due to the impact of the new coronavirus infection, students participated in the study abroad program for the first time in two years this summer.
“Most students are ready to go out and travel because of the isolation caused by COVID-19,” Miller said. There was no problem with
Judkins said COVID-19 restrictions in France are similar to those in the United States at this time, with “few people seen wearing masks.”
According to Miller, 15 students are studying abroad this semester. Tech students go to Spain, Sweden, France, Peru and Holland, but the majority of them go to South Korea this semester.
“We have a partner school that offers a variety of classes taught in English. We also provide students with simple part-time jobs to practice English conversation with Korean students, and cover the dormitory fees with the money they provide. We can afford it,” says Miller. “Most of our study abroad options are very affordable.”
The next opportunity to study abroad is in the spring of 2023, and the application deadline is October 15th. Miller said students who want to study abroad in the spring semester of 2023 should make an appointment to talk about their Tech Connect options as soon as possible. .
“I encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad now, as Tech is offering a $1,000 travel reimbursement to all students who meet very reasonable criteria,” Miller said. says.
Miller said the feedback he received from international students was positive and that, like Judkins, they had great experiences abroad.
“They said the school they went to and the experience they had was great,” Miller said.
Tech’s annual Study Abroad Fair will be held on Tuesday, August 30th from 10am to 2pm in the Tech Pride Room. For more information on study abroad programs, please visit https://www.tntech.edu/studyabroad/contact.php.
