On Monday, November 7th, 2022, the Study Abroad Office held its first in-person Pre-Departure Orientation event since the fall of 2019. Each semester, the Study Abroad Office will host this event to academically and institutionally prepare its outbound students for their upcoming semesters abroad.
To begin the evening, our students filled out their study abroad bingo cards. Out of the 33 students studying abroad, 24 students were featured on the bingo card. It was up to the students to determine which students fit the descriptions of each bingo space. For those students who finished filling up their bingo cards by the end of the night, they received special prizes from the Study Abroad Office!
Following our bingo icebreaker activity, our students learned the locations of where each individual student would be going. This pre-departure session featured 33 outbound students that will be traveling to the following locations during the spring of 2023:
- Australia – 7 students
- Costa Rica – 1 student
- Croatia – 2 students
- England – 1 student
- France – 1 student
- Germany – 2 students
- Ireland – 2 students
- Italy – 2 students
- Japan – 7 students
- Spain – 7 students
- Semester at Sea – 1 student
Additionally, the pre-departure session featured valuable information that was presented to the students through three different departments: The Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking, Career Development, and Student Life. In partnership with these offices, our future study-abroad students gained information on the following topics:
- Cultural Integration
- Cultural Sensitivity
- White Savorism
- Social Media Safety Tips
- Career and Self-Development
- Health and Safety Protocols
- University Representation
In addition to the academic components of the evening, our students also had the opportunity to receive caricatures from professional caricature artist, Nick Kienzle. Nick spent the entire pre-departure session drawing caricatures of different students. Some students even got caricatures in groups of two and three after they received their first individual caricatures.
At the end of the event, the students received a student-centered presentation from Madelyn Box, a senior Occupational Therapy major, providing them with pro tips on their journeys abroad. Additionally, Layla Murphy, a sophomore Communications major, created send-off folders that contained information on popular travel destinations and hidden gems within their countries of study.
Overall, everyone that participated in the pre-departure session said that the event was a huge success. The Study Abroad Office was happy to have so many students attend and prepare each of them for this important part of their lives!
*Photo credits to Ally Bonicker
Blue Jays Abroad 
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