Clark side hugs Snoop Dogg, an American rapper and entertainment entrepreneur at an event in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Cara Clark.
Milligan partners with a variety reputable programs to provide students with domestic and international travel opportunities. Currently, there are eight approved affiliate organizations that students at Milligan College can apply to and spend a semester experiencing a different location and program of study. This semester there are five students currently finishing out their last weeks at their program of choice. I interviewed each student in regards to the program they decided to study with during the fall semester, their involvement, what they learned and the challenges they faced while being at a different location. Taya Clark, one of the students who is currently studying abroad, was not able to be interviewed.
Kennedy Weber
Senior; Communications major in journalism and political science in international relations
Kennedy Weber has spent this semester studying journalism and interning with a program called New York City Semester in Journalism, which is a 15-credit-hour program offered through the Phillips Journalism Institute at The King’s College in New York City. “I am interning as a copy editor and reporter at Providence Magazine,” Weber said. “The magazine focuses on US Foreign Policy and has brought my two majors (political science and journalism) together nicely. I’ve learned so much about myself, how I see myself as a communicator and storyteller and a professional through this program.”
Students are required to stay in residential dorms provided by the study abroad program. Weber mentioned how living in New York City has been one of the most life-changing experiences she’s had. “There are so many different people here,” she stated. “I have realized how big God really is – he is not confined to my tiny town in Indiana or even just within the United States. Though I love the diversity, the convenience, the public transportation and the authenticity of people here, I don’t think I could live without the mountains I have grown so fond of.” Some of the challenges Weber faced include the struggle of homesickness; however, she encourages students in her field to consider the program, “I have been able to form relationships with professionals from all walks of life and professions while learning about myself and living in one of the largest cities in the world. It’s empowering to know that I can survive – and thrive – in New York City all on my own.”
Cara Clark
Senior; Communications major in film and minor in English
Cara Clark is studying at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center in Los Angeles, California which is a program offered by Best Semester through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). “The program offers students a chance to experience living [and] working in Hollywood while still in school. I am taking courses in screenwriting, faith, and filmmaking as well as working an internship.” Clark works with a small production and management company called Rough Diamond that was founded by Julia Verdin. “Rough Diamond strives to create media that makes a difference. Verdin is currently in pre-production on a film devoted to educating people about sex trafficking and the effects it has on victims as well as their families. I’ve helped a little with the pre-production work for the film. Most of the time, I work in client management submitting Rough Diamond clients for audition.”
Living most of her life in Bristol, Virginia, Clark had no idea what Los Angeles would be like other than relying on how the city was portrayed by pictures and films. “The first few weeks, I was trying to process and comprehend what it meant to be living in LA. [Everything] that I have seen in [media] was now 15 minutes from where I live,” she mentioned. “Los Angeles is a city that thrives on creativity. It is surreal to think about the possibilities and opportunities that surround me but also a little overwhelming.”
While living in Los Angeles, Clark knew it would be important for her to find a church. “Going to church brings me back down and reminds me that in all situations, God is with me,” Clark said. “I went to about three different churches before I settled into one, and I think it helped with being away from home.” Clark mentioned how she ended up liking living in Los Angeles but thinks she would need more time before wanting to move back right away. However, she does see herself living there at some point in her life.
“I learned and experienced a lot that I could not have back home. The first week was a little overwhelming because of the new city, people, finding a job and plan for the classes, but it was all manageable. You do not have to know everything, but you should be willing to learn from others and ask for help. Film is a collaborative medium and requires work from many people to successfully execute a project.”
Samantha Steadman
Senior; Graphic design major and minor in photography
Samantha Steadman spent this semester in Studio Arts College International (SACI) in Florence, Italy studying a graphic design and photography program at the oldest and most prestigious American art school. “It’s an art school for study abroad students only, so it’s mainly American students. They have fine art programs like painting and sculpting, art history programs with field trips to lots of amazing historical sites, and they have lots of design programs like architecture, fashion and graphic design. I’m studying graphic design and photography,” Steadman stated.
“The first half of the semester in graphic design focused on print design, mainly book covers. The second half had focused more on interactive and web design. I have been working on several projects for the whole semester, especially in black and white and color photography classes. The black and white photography class is traditional film photography while the color class focuses more on digital photography.”
Steadman mentioned how living in Florence is “absolutely insane,” but in the best way possible. “I’ve living in a small town all my life, so moving was a huge culture shock. Some people speak some English, but the biggest shock for me was [living] in a bigger city. It’s taken all semester, but I am finally adjusting, only to move back home soon.” Steadman sees herself wanting to live in Florence again, and she recommends the program to anyone who is interested in studying art history, fine arts, and communication arts.
Mikaela Way
Senior; Sociology major
Mikaela Way is studying at the University of Amsterdam with Council On International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in a social sciences and humanities program which was approved of by her professors. “I have spent four months studying abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands,” Way said. “Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) is a giant multi-faculty university, with approximately 32,000 students, in the heart of what is considered one of the most liberal nations and cities in Europe.”
“I was guided into the International Student Network’s (ISN) orientation for all 1,00 incoming international and exchange students. Similar to peer mentors at Milligan, all students were divided into family groups comprised of about thirty students and two group leaders. Within these groups were student from all over the world.”
During her semester, Way had been exposed to a different lifestyle in college compared to Milligan where “students are held to moral regulations determined by the board that forbid any kind of drinking, illegal drug use, and sex,” Way stated. “With that said, orientation week was comprised of bigger and better bars or clubs every night.”
“I had arrived in what I honestly, though uneducatedly, suspect is one of the largest party schools in the world. At first, this was a little nerve wracking and left me feeling like a fish out of water. However, it didn’t even take a full week for me to fall in love with the freedom that comes when no one is deciding your morals for you. All of a sudden, it was my choice what I did. This was a kind of freedom I had never really felt before. Mostly, because it stemmed from a pressure I never fully recognized I was under.” Way mentioned in her interview how the dynamic shift of the policies at the college impacted their students. “I had heard talk of honor and shame cultures, but I did not recognize the extent of which I was living in one until I left it,” she said. “Once I heard someone say that when you study abroad you learn way more about your home culture than you ever could about your host culture, I could not agree with this statement more. As my time begins to wrap up living the Netherlands, I continue to find myself stumped and beguiled by the incredible culture and its people; however, I also find myself becoming increasingly critically reflective and resistant to my own culture.”
Mikaela Way mentions in her interview that she will be writing an analysis on how morality based politics prevalent in Milligan culture contrast to the tolerance based culture established by the Uva, questioning whether it is biblically and morally correct to uphold morality politics which infringe upon the personal autonomy of students.