An initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week is an annual celebration of the global exchange of ideas that occur in schools and on campuses across the country and abroad. Case Western Reserve University engages in these ideas by offering study abroad programs, hosting international students and forming partnerships with global institutions. In honor of these efforts, the Center of International Affairs will host wide-ranging programming and highlight international and study abroad student experiences in The Daily. Stay tuned throughout the week to learn more.
Claire Wong, a junior double-majoring in classics and neuroscience, studied abroad twice. She participated in a one-week classics program in Athens, Greece, during spring 2022 and found it to be an immersive way to engage in the material she was studying for her classics major. Wong also completed a three-month summer research internship called DAAD RISE in Germany last summer. While in Germany, she worked at the Max Planck Institute in Konstanz and studied collective behavior.
During both of these study abroad programs, Wong was productive in her work and academics, and also had memorable experiences outside of the lab and classroom.
At Case Western Reserve University, she is active in archery on campus and undergraduate research. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future.
Wong shared what her experiences were like.
“I remember being on the fence about fitting study abroad into my course load. Now, having attended both short- and long-term study abroad programs, I’m incredibly glad that I never gave up pursuing it.
“Studying abroad provides a unique opportunity to not just explore your academic and personal interests from a global perspective, but also to make connections and discover topics you otherwise would never have known about. (I’m looking at you, prospective researchers!). Not enough people realize that regardless of their course of study, international study is wholly accessible and that’s something I’m excited to change.”