Category: Students

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Summer reflections of an international student now graduate

Chasing a dream: an opportunity as a life changer

by: Yana Verbova

Have you ever pondered what it’s truly like to chase your dreams, regardless of how daunting the path might appear? Let me assure you, the impossible is within reach. My story stands as a beacon of hope and resilience.

Two years ago, I stood on the brink of a dream, miles away from home in a country engulfed by war. Two years ago, I arrived at Stetson as a dedicated Ukrainian student to be one of the four lucky ones thanks to the Ukrainian Initiative program. Prior to Stetson, I studied dentistry for two years in Ukraine, but an unexpected burst of war events like a horrendous gash on the heart of my beautiful country ruined all my plans and belief in the bright future. 

When fate decides it is your turn, there is no way to lose the chance that happens once in a hundred, but grab it in a heartbeat instead. That is exactly what I did. However, I felt like I was split into two worlds: leaving my fabulous country with my close friends and family, who undergo a lot of difficulties every single day fighting for their own life, or building my own bright future in the USA. No matter how tough of a decision it was to me, I consciously decided to give Stetson a go, since studying in Ukraine was barely possible already at that time. 

My decision was absolutely right, the best one ever, I would say. The moment I set foot on campus, I fell in love. Though my first week was challenging, dealing with homesickness and loneliness, I embraced my mission: to gain a prestigious education that would empower me to help rebuild my country. 

The past two years (2022-2024) were filled with diverse and exciting experiences. My journey was nothing short of transformative, ranging from gaining hands-on experience with the dental club during my first year, to delivering presentations and events to raise awareness about Ukraine. I also had the privilege of tutoring peers at the Writing Center, traveling, and repeatedly earning a place on the Dean’s List. 

Stetson felt like home at the first glance. Encouragement from faculty members, support from the international student community, and the thrill of engaging classes really made my heart warmer and renewed my long-lost belief in a fulfilled life. I am proud to be a part of the marvelous Ukrainian community, with whom we built such an inseparable bond throughout these two years. Having a myriad of Ukrainian events and presentations made me feel both heart-rending and glad, since spreading awareness nowadays is a key. 

Stetson has also been a place for professional development for me, since my job at the Writing Center wasn’t just about commas and essays, but it truly gave me essential tools to be a clear and effective communicator and a leader, which is vital in the healthcare profession. Let alone talking about my Senior Research, where elaborate analysis of studies came into reality of me studying the participants in real life. 

To all prospective international students: I encourage you to apply to Stetson University. This supportive community, coupled with academic excellence in the beautiful sunshine state, will undoubtedly enrich your life. Embrace the challenge; you are the architect of your own future. Never stop believing in yourself and striving for self-realization.

My Stetson experience has been a wild ride-a rollercoaster of knowledge, compassion, hope, success and failure. None of this would have been possible without the incredible people who shaped my journey. I laughed, cried, grew and flourished at Stetson. Stetson is a place to be, Stetson is home, Stetson is my sole. 

Everything is possible! Never stop believing and doing everything for your own self-realization! I am profoundly grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey and to the universe for this unparalleled experience. I am ready to embrace my next endeavors with optimism and determination.

  So, here’s to Stetson, to our incredible journey together, and to a future where Ukrainians and Americans fly side-by-side towards a healthier, brighter tomorrow! And hey, if I ever find myself missing that Florida sunshine during my studies at Brown University for my MPH, you can bet this Hatter will be hopping on the next flight back to the warm Floridian home I found at Stetson!

“Once a Hatter, always a Hatter”. Couldn’t be happier to say this as a Stetson Alumna.

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Florida Lessons from Abroad Conference

By Sara Hassler

April 5th, 2024 marked a new day for study abroad at Stetson University. WORLD: The David and Leighan Center for International Learning, hosted their inaugural state conference here in Deland. Attendees and presenters from all over Florida came together to enjoy the fruits of their labor from their time studying abroad. Neighboring schools like University of North Florida, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, came together to host the Lessons from Abroad Conference.

Shaun O. Smith and pal present at the Florida Lessons from Abroad Conference

The morning began in Lee Chapel with a warm and proud welcome from President Christopher Roellke, led by Provost Skomp sharing her support for the conference and her own mention of leading a study abroad program in her past. The opening ceremony was concluded by Assistant Director of International Learning Programs, Melanie Smith, who joyfully directed the group towards the first presentations in Brown Hall and Sage Hall. Presentations now having begun, the two halls were brimming with stories about traveling abroad, becoming international students, and all the wonders of stepping out of one’s comfort zone to pursue higher education. Presenters stretched from Stetson students to students from the visiting universities giving their take on their lessons from abroad. 

The day was nicely interrupted by a break for lunch in the Stetson Room, where attendees and presenters had a chance to learn how to utilize their study abroad experience in their resumes and ventures into the workforce. Presentations led by University of North Florida and Stetson University aimed at teaching students how to include their experiences abroad in their resumes and how to account for the lessons they encountered while abroad. From missing a bus in Europe to remastering the experience to demonstrate a  student’s critical thinking skills, attendees were provided with worksheets that allowed them to identify learning objectives that matched with their time abroad. 

After lunch, presentations continued and the conference was later concluded with closing remarks in Lee Chapel. That marked the end to the first ever statewide Lessons from Abroad Conference at Stetson University, the beginning of a great tradition that will hopefully be continued for years to come. 

Note: Stetson University pioneered the first university-wide Lessons from Abroad Conference on March 31, 2023. The concept was expanded to a statewide initiative thereafter.

Monique Silva Dias and Elisa Mullisi present “Two Sides of a Study Abroad Story”

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International Student Know-How

Two international students won Maris awards this year for their outstanding oral presentations. Congratulations to Shadia Muñoz-Najar ’23 from Peru and Evans Asuboah ’24 from Ghana!

Black Home Schoolers of Central Florida provides support for families who chose to home-school their children. They depend on donations to provide these essential services. Evans reviewed their website and realized they needed a modern, streamlined look, more intuitive navigation and increased speed. Many parents were complaining about how difficult it was to find information.

After much research, Evans used the insights to address the pain points and meet the evolving needs of the community. After 100 hours of writing over 5,000 lines of code, a new, refreshing website emerged. Evans tested his new website among users and it was clear by the feedback that he made drastic improvements.

Last but not least, everyone who tested the new website said they would donate to the organization! Check out the new website here: https://www.blackhomeschoolerscfl.com/

Meanwhile, Shadia tackled a perplexing Latin America resource “curse”: why do some countries with plenty of resources struggle with long-term economic growth? She examined several variables, such as resource dependence, economic inequality and political instability and their effects on different countries. Country policies and political management seemed to be a significant determinant.

Congratulations Shadia and Evans for winning a Maris Award for this excellent work. For those of you who don’t know, this award recognizes quality scholarship at the University’s Undergraduate Scholarship Day.

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Costa Rica Adventures

2023 Spring Break Study Abroad

by Haleigh Ray, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology

Stetson students and professors spent a glorious week in Costa Rica. We started out in the Monteverde region which included a visit to the Monteverde Orchid Garden and afterwards, a choice of zip-lining or suspension bridge trails!

After these activities, we made our way hiking back to San Gerardo Station, a very remote biological station in the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. We were the only group staying there, so everyone had a great opportunity to be fully surrounded by nature (no wifi at the station, either!)

During our time here, everyone did a lot of hiking (including a trail back to a waterfall), birdwatching (some students got up at 4:30 AM to go with our nature guide who was an Ornithologist), and small projects where the students were collecting field data. The station overlooked part of the cloud forest habitat, and had an amazing view of Arenal Volcano.

White-necked Puff bird

After three days at San Gerardo, we moved to the southwest coast of Costa Rica to a site called Hacienda Barú. Here they saw a lot more animal life, including sloths, coatis, monkeys, birds, and peccaries.

Capuchin Monkey, Coati and Red-eyed Stream Frog

While at Hacienda Barú, the lodge was located directly on the coast, so students were able to hike down to the beach and watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

By the end of the trip many students were saying that they had a new appreciation for tropical biodiversity and rainforest ecosystems, and had stronger views on conservation of these habitats. They felt that they were really able to connect with nature while in Costa Rica, and some of them even said that the experience was life-changing for them!

Stetson University

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Rinker Global Scholars Study “The Waters of Venice” during Spring Break

By: Kimberly Reiter, PhD

Stetson’s 2023 Rinker Global Scholars in Venice

This past Spring Break 2023, Dr. Jason Evans (Environmental Science) and Dr. Kimberly Reiter (History) led fifteen students to Venice and north Italy to see first hand the impacts of the Venetian Lagoon on the historic city.  The trip was part of a team taught course called “The Waters of Venice”, an examination of the past and present dialogues between Venice and the waters which created the powerful ‘Stato da Mar’ which dominated Mediterranean trade and politics for centuries in the Middle Ages.  The course was made possible through the generous assistance of the Rinker Foundation, which supports and aids the fifteen Rinker Scholar students who earned a spot in the class.

Crossing one of Venice’s many canals

“The Waters of Venice” has required the faculty and students to take a journey back to the Roman period and the rise of Venice through its unique access to the salt pans of North Italy.  They studied the creation of the island state through hundreds of years of careful environmental management of the lagoons and canals that mark the dozens of islands that make up the current city.  The students have studied not only the political and economic history of Venice, but also the environmental regulations that kept the sediments from filling in the lagoon, and mandated the use of the lagoon, wetlands, rivers, forests and aquatic resources of Venice’s broad Italian territories.  They also looked at the consequences of Napoleon’s conquest of Venice on these regulations and the slow deterioration since then, as well as the modern remedies to fix the situation for now and what Venice is doing to try and save the future city.

During Spring Break the students had multiple opportunities with the help of local experts to see for themselves the various water management systems put into place to protect Venice, including the failed Vajont Dam in the Dolomites intended to regulate the lumber and agricultural needs of the Veneto, the MOSE Barrier project that has been created to keep the city from flooding and the significant waterproofing projects to protect the Piazza San Marco and other endangered historical places.  They visited Ravenna, an equally ancient town which had once been like Venice, but which allowed the sediments to fill in their wetlands and now lies several kilometers inland, and Cervia, where perhaps the purest salt in the Mediterranean continues to be created as it has been for centuries.  It is fair to say that the salt shop at the visitor center was effectively cleared of stock after the visit!  The students also learned about the political and economic impediments to the water projects, including the impacts of corruption, over tourism, cruise ships and wetlands loss.

Looking for Flamingos in the Cervia Salt Pans
Dolomite Mountains

In sum, the course has been eye-opening and the visit to Venice, ‘La Serenissima’ was nothing short of amazing.  In their free time students sampled the incredible foods of the region, ate a lot of gelato, visited museums and wandered the streets of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, while learning about the genuine threats to its existence as the very waters that built the Venetian Empire now seem likely to destroy the city itself.

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First Annual Lessons from Abroad Conference

WORLD is excited to host our upcoming Lessons from Abroad Conference on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 11am-3pm in Brown Hall. During this inaugural conference, study abroad and international students will reflect on the impact of learning abroad and global citizenship experiences through engagement with new cultures. Students will present their reflections and invite discussion. We welcome you to join us!

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Fifth-Year Peace Corps Prep Program Report

In December 2016, Stetson University entered a five-year agreement with the Peace Corps (PC) for the establishment of a Peace Corps Prep Program. The program is designed to advance the goals of the Peace Corps and Stetson University by combining academic course work with practical field experience and enhancing ongoing international initiatives. Peace Corps Prep advances Stetson University’s mission, goals and strategic values by providing professional development, leadership experience and training, intercultural competence, and academic growth.

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