Florence's Il Duomo Cathedral (Photo courtesy of Shane R. Toogood)
“Studying abroad is one of the most rewarding ways to learn and one of the best ways to travel,” said Shane Toogood, a former student at DCCC, who studied abroad in Florence, Italy during the summer of 2006.
Toogood took Introduction to Visual Arts while he was there. “Twice a week I was in class for an hour and a half, and Monday through Thursday the classes were at a museum.”
On the weekends, he said, the group went on day trips to Rome, Venice and Lucca.
English Professor Dolores Formichella, the coordinator of the Florence program urges student to get out of their “zip code” and experience other cultures. Every year she escorts students to Italy to study and live on Centers for Academic Programs campus.
CAPA is a partnership-based study abroad organization that operates six college campuses around the world in London, Florence, Madrid, Paris, Sydney, and San Jose, with plans to open a Beijing campus next year.
“The foreign campuses serve as an extension of your home campus,” said Brian P. Waterson, CAPA’s Project Manager.
Students are encouraged to immerse themselves in a different culture, Waterson said, and receive an education calendar that provides contacts of local students and information on lectures and trips.
For students who wonder if their major would lend itself to studying abroad, Waterson said that the program is open to all majors, and that scholarships can be applied.
The prices also vary from campus to campus. “Right now, London is the most popular but also the most expensive campus,” Waterson said. San Jose, he said, is the cheapest.
“Studying abroad allows students to reflect on their own culture and gain some personal independence,” Waterson said.
Students who wish to seek an alternative to the Italy program can also explore another DCCC program in Egypt, sponsored by Education First Tours.
The trip to Egypt is a first for DCCC. Last year, students had the choice between Florence and Belize. Florence is still available, with Egypt replacing the latter.
Dr. Ife Williams, of the social sciences department, is in charge of the program.
“Students will take a three credit online course in Egyptology,” Williams said. “If a student has a 3.0 GPA, he or she can be granted a partial scholarship which can help pay for expenses.”
Students traveling to Egypt will spend their time learning about Egyptian culture.
Much of the trip includes a cruise down the Nile to Luxor, Edfu, and Aswan, Williams said.
“Students not only learn about a different culture but also they learn the process of traveling abroad,” Williams said. “Those who have never traveled will learn how to obtain a visa and passport.”
Students who worry about language barriers should fear not. “Students are always mixed in with other college students from America,” Williams said.
Two years ago, Williams traveled to Ghana with Cheyney University. She has also visited South Africa.
“I went in June 2005 to Belize,” said Kris Fossett, another former student of DCCC, who traveled through the college. “We stayed in a town called Orange Walk,” Fossett said. “Much of the work included studying plants and birds and walking through the rainforest.”
For more information on visit http://www.dccc.edu/admissions/italy/ or https://www.dccc.edu/events/Egypt.pdf
