Study Abroad - Testimonials

Student Voices: What our students had to say about their study abroad experience at Community College of Philadelphia.

Making an Impact in the world

Merida: “This trip helped me understand the history, culture and the people of Merida; more importantly, it helped me realize how I can make an impact in the world around me.” 

Cambodia: “Prior to this trip, I had been planning to go into working with women and children’s health and nutrition.  I wanted to work globally.  This trip cemented my goals.  I am planning to stay involved with the orphanage we visited.”

Belize: “Prior to visiting Belize, I thought that the most important place I would visit would be the Mayan ruins, but the most important learning experience was actually visiting the zoo and exploring the reefs because I got a sense of some of the endangered species of animals, fish and corals which are gravely in danger and certainly more important than I thought to our ecosystem.” 

Making a career and a dream come true

Peru: “I have thought about teaching abroad or participating in a study abroad program; this trip helped me realize that it is something that I will do in my future career and make my dream a reality.”

Belize: “This trip was not only informative but it opened my mind to different career opportunities. My career goals are now clearer.”  

Gaining  a deeper understanding of another culture

Peru: “This trip helped me gain a deeper understanding of other cultures outside my own; to experience a different culture was a great experience; this trip has giving me the desire to continue to travel and learn about other people.”

Israel: "Before even landing in Israel, through the IDS course, I learned more about the history and politics in Israel as well as the Middle East than I had ever been aware.  After spending ten days in Israel and meeting people from every corner of the globe, I was enlightened to how culturally diverse Israel is.  It was amazing.”  

Turkey: “This trip has had an enormous impact on my personal world-view.  It narrowed my sense of the cultural gap between the east and the west.  I will certainly share my experience and what I have learned on this trip with my future students.”

Interacting with others

Turkey: “This trip gave the power of coming out of my shyness.  I feel like I can interact with people better and feel comfortable about it.  Also, being a student, this trip was very affordable and the experience turned out to be great.”

Belize: “The professors did a wonderful job in choosing the students to go on this trip. We all got along so wonderfully. The itinerary was just perfect. The sights and sounds from this trip will be with me always…especially the laughter we all shared. This trip is definitely one of the highlights of my life so far.” 

Learning from others

Belize: “The place that was most important to my learning about contemporary Belizean life was Tobacco Cay.  Since we lived so close to the native people of the area, I was able to observe the true lifestyle of a Belizean.”

Opportunity through financial support

Turkey: “At this time in my life, I would never been able to afford a trip like this on my own.  Thanks to this trip, I’m very appreciative and tolerant of other cultures.  I definitely feel this experience has greatly enriched my life.”

Israel: “Traveling at low cost thanks to the generosity of the supporters of this program, it’s a great gift and opportunity for students that have not experienced visiting another country.  I am happy that these funds exist and can be used for people with talent but little opportunity to travel.”

Belize: “I couldn’t have afforded this trip it if it wasn’t financially supported by the College and an outside foundation.   It’s nice to see that Community College can expand a student’s experiences outside of school. Thanks so much for that.”

Creating future plans

Israel: “I am so thankful for this experience.  It has taught me more than I could eve dreamed of. This trip has given me the ‘travel bug’ and I look forward to exploring more places in the future.”

Turkey: “I am going back!    Also, I am learning the language and I am travelling elsewhere in the area!”