Students Invited to Explore Study Abroad Opportunities

To get students excited about the great study abroad opportunities open to them, the College of Coastal Georgia’s Office of International Education held a Study Abroad Fair on Feb. 16 at the Campus Center lobby. Interested students stopped by and talked with faculty and staff, who shared their experiences of going abroad.

Dr. Carla Bluhm, College of Coastal Georgia associate professor of psychology, and Giséle Gréaux, European Council coordinator from Valdosta State University, talked about the benefits of visiting and learning in other countries, how to earn course credit when studying abroad, and available financial resources, such as scholarships and travel grants.

“I want students to know that they have options when it comes to study abroad,” Bluhm said. “It’s a high-quality program and students deserve the opportunity to go.”

The fair offered information about studying abroad in Europe and Indonesia.

“We want to empower them to study abroad because it’s an enriching experience,” Bluhm said. “I want them to learn that they can do it too.”

Bluhm has participated in the study abroad program in France. She holds basic French lessons in her office on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., ACN Room 112, so students know how to make their way around France.

The fair also featured a fundraiser for study abroad scholarships, where students could buy food or enter a drawing to win a gift basket. One basket was for a guy’s night-in featuring a $25 gift card, root beer, snacks, and two beer mugs; the other was a girl’s night-in basket, featuring a $25 gift card, sparkling grape juice, and chocolate kisses. Students can still enter to win a gift basket until Friday when the winners will be selected. The entry cost is $1 to $3 and to enter the drawing contact Dr. Carla Bluhm (cbluhm@ccga.edu). All funds raised will be used to defray expenses for study-abroad students.

The fair also partnered with local business Pinball Palace. Pinball Palace is an arcade with vintage pinball machines from the 1950s through the present as well as other retro games. Pinball Palace offered students at the fair a $10 wristband ticket for two hours of free play and pizza on March 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

To learn more about study abroad opportunities visit the Office of International Education at the Hargett Administration Building, www.ccga.edu/global or www.ccga.edu/studyabroad.