Is there a difference between visiting and experiencing? The students featured in this article— Makayla Page, Ben Gubler, Chantelle LaFrance, Annemarie Hilton, Rachael Haack, and Annette Francis—hoped to answer that question as they embarked on study abroad experiences with Brigham Young University.
Their journeys across the globe were unique in location and purpose, yet each student came home glittering with new light. Whether they went to England or India, Taiwan or Morocco, each returned illuminated and inspired.
Study abroad experiences aren’t a new thing at BYU; they’re a long-standing tradition rooted in a commitment to study and serve in the interest of individuals who are different from us. In 1965, BYU held their first official study abroad program in Austria.
Now, over a hundred programs are offered, and BYU is recognized for its emphasis on international study by organizations like Open Doors, according to BYU’s Kennedy Center website. The range of study abroad programs is large: These programs are sponsored by a variety of academic disciplines and occur in various countries and continents.
Keep reading to discover these six students’ stories of light from all over the world.
Makayla Page
“Healing Through Belonging and Inclusion” in Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, Agra, and Varanasi, India
When Makayla Page, an exercise and wellness major, signed up for a study abroad about healing, she up having a lot of excess time just to spend with [them] there.” They made introductions and then expected to learn about physical healing through Ayurvedic medicine (a traditional Indian system of medicine focused on holistic treatment through herbal remedies, lifestyle, and more). But what she gained was so much more than that: She gained lasting friendships and a new perspective on the world.
Their trip began in New Delhi and they visited many cultural sites, including mosques and temples. However, the highlight of the trip for Makayla wasn’t the places they saw. It was the people she met—the students who she traveled with and the students she met at Jiwaji University.
“When we were at Jiwaji University, we were interacting with the students a lot,” she said. “We ended took turns playing songs from their respective cultures and performing for each other. “They would dance in their normal traditional Indian way, and we’d jump up and down to Taylor Swift.”
Even after just four hours, Makayla was surprised by how connected she felt to those students. “I rarely feel like I get that comfortable that quickly with random strangers from cultures and countries that I don’t have as much in common with,” she said, noting that there was “definitely the light of Christ in that interaction.” She felt that because of the natural light of Christ within all people, they were able to develop such a comfortable, mutually affectionate relationship so quickly. In the end, Makayla came away from her study abroad with a deeper understanding of healing, faith, and what it means to connect with others.
Ben Gubler
“Intensive Arabic” in Morocco
Computer science major Ben Gubler’s study abroad was originally scheduled to take place in Jordan, but because of political instability and unrest, his group ended up flying to Morocco instead. Despite the change of plans, Ben’s experience studying Arabic in Morocco left a lasting impact on him.
Because the trip was relocated, Ben was able to study not only formal Arabic, but also the Moroccan dialect of Arabic with natives there. For Ben, travelling to southern Morocco and visiting a few villages was enlightening. These villages were in the desert where everything was made of cement, mud, or straw, and they all dealt with water instability. He talked to locals and even took a camel tour of the Sahara Desert.
Ben found that learning about the history of the region opened his eyes to the importance of Arabic and Muslim culture on Western civilization. “That was probably the most impactful part for me,” he said, “learning a lot about the history about the region, which is really essential to a lot of Western history.”
But beyond historical figures, Ben felt the most impacted by the people he met there in person. “I experienced a lot of light interacting with people over there and seeing their friendliness and their commitment to share their faith,” Ben said. “I met many Muslim friends who were very interested and open and forthright in talking about their faith and sharing it with me.
Chantelle LaFrance
“English Language in Britain” in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland
Visiting the British Isles was an intellectual and spiritual experience this summer for editing and publishing major Chantelle LaFrance. The English linguistics study abroad started in Scotland, went down through England where the group spent four weeks in London, then finished off by going through Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
The study abroad focused on historical English linguistics, with classes including the history of the book, the history of the English language, and varieties of English. “Every single time we did something, I thought, ‘This is the best thing,’” Chantelle said. “It was really cool to learn experientially, where you learn something in the classroom, and then immediately you go out and you find it and you see it.”
For Chantelle, experiential learning felt like a source of light for her abroad. “I was constantly engaged intellectually. The joy I felt experiencing these sites and connecting it with my learning was another kind of light. Coming back, I feel like I’m always thinking about the way that people are pronouncing things and the way people speak and express themselves.”
On top of intellectual light, Chantelle felt surrounded by spiritual light through her studies. “I had a beautiful moment talking to God in Wales,” she said. “I was able to pray and reflect on some of the things I’d been learning throughout the study abroad and in life, and I was able to have a really healing experience with the Lord.”
Chantelle felt like she left the study abroad prepared to return to student life using the additional light she gained on her trip. “By the time I was ending the study abroad, I was ready to come back, and I felt really clear direction,” she said.
Rachael Haack
“African Exploration” in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia
Could there be a better way to study plant and wildlife science than traveling through southern Africa, where the lion and the leopard roam free and hundreds of rare plant species grow in the wild? Rachael Haack, a wildlife and wildlands conservation major, and her classmates experienced just a sliver of the diversity of African wildlife on their study abroad this summer. They traveled from South Africa up through Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. The study abroad was both academically and spiritually rewarding.
When they weren’t observing birds like the lilac-breasted roller, nibbling on medicinal herbs, or watching young lions, students had important conversations about the implications of tourism on wildlife. Rachael explained how ecotourism is like a coin with two sides, saying, “[It] can be really detrimental to an environment and the animals that live there, but it can also be helpful in raising awareness and getting people excited about conservation.”
Students also had the chance to learn about not-so-distant history when they visited Robben Island, the South African island where Nelson Mandela and other political leaders were held during the apartheid era. Rachael noted that their tour was especially impactful because it was led by a former prisoner. He was able to explain “all of the experiences that he had while he was there, [including] being treated so cruelly and beaten.” She described this experience as both shocking and humbling.
What Rachael savored the most during her study abroad experience were the feelings of awe at God’s creations. The moments that she stood in front of Victoria Falls or under a giant baobab tree increased her appreciation for the diversity of God’s gifts. She was able to experience His light through His creations, and she was reminded that “[God is] eager to show us all the things that He has made for us and created for us.”
The whole group grew close and bonded through their shared adventure in Africa, making it an unforgettable, light-filled experience for everyone.
Annemarie Hilton
“National Taiwan Normal University” in Taiwan
This summer, psychology major Annemarie Hilton’s direct enrollment study abroad to Taiwan was an immersive cultural experience. Rather than staying within the purview of BYU, the group registered for Chinese classes at a Taiwanese university. With weekend field trips to the zoo, the museum in Taipei, and other cultural sites, Annemarie’s group learned a lot about the island and the history of the people.
Beyond structured activities, Annemarie did her best to have a more native experience there. She attended institute classes and went to the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every week to learn religious language in Chinese and talk to native Taiwanese people—people who lived, went to school, worked full time, and tried to navigate life there.
As Annemarie came to know and understand the people, she took an interest in learning how they worshiped. “I was conflicted on how best to worship in [Buddhist] temples,” Annemarie said. “While I didn’t worship Buddha in those temples, I acknowledged that this is a location set apart to talk to God, and whether their perception of God looks different than my perception of God, this is still a sacred place.” That idea of sacred spaces as shared beacons of light gave Annemarie a sense of unity between her culture and Taiwanese culture.
For Annemarie, even when religious practices or the deity looked different, shared light through religious worship helped her experience her own spiritual light as she studied abroad. “To walk past tall buildings with three-story temples wedged between them and smell the incense was a two-second reminder that God is there and God is good,” she said.
Annette Francis
“Kichwa Linguistics” in Ecuador
In Summer 2024, linguistics major Annette Francis flew down to Ecuador to study the Kichwa language in a field school called Iyarina, where generational families of indigenous Kichwa speakers live. “Imagine a language with rules you have never heard of in your life, and you have to learn the whole thing in six weeks,” Annette said.
Annette and her group attended lessons, then had the option to explore the field school, help in the kitchen, and practice Kichwa with native speakers.
Through all of her crazy experiences walking 28 through the Amazon with giant spiders crawling across the forest, monkeys swinging overhead, twelve-hour canoe rides, and lots of mosquito bites, Annette loved talking to the Kichwa people the most. “I’d be hanging out with these little girls, talking in Spanish and Kichwa, and they’d all make fun of me,” she described with a laugh.
The relationships Annette formed on her study abroad helped Annette immerse herself in spiritual light. “The community of everyone loving each other and having fun with each other helped me feel a lot of light,” she said. “I think we all felt light as we paid twenty bucks to take taxis to church on Sundays and as we served each other. It was really nice to be surrounded by God all the time.”
Returning home, Annette felt greater strength in her beliefs as she reflected on her experiences in Ecuador. “Even if I don’t see all the small things that changed me, this whole experience gave me a greater testimony of faith,” she said.
The Takeaway
So, is there a difference between visiting and experiencing? For the students featured in this article, the answer is a resounding yes. Each of these students did far more than sightsee—they explored, learned, and connected. Each of them discovered light in unexpected places and in unexpected ways—often through people. Their experiences embody BYU’s 150th anniversary theme of receiving, connecting, and sharing light.
To slightly modify an idea by Ralph Waldo Emerson, they didn’t just “travel the world over to find the [light],” they also “[carried] it with [them]” back home. That should be the ultimate souvenir of our travel—not a magnet or postcard, but our transformed view of the world and of ourselves.
—Kara Haack and Ashley Wilson
Sources
www.kennedy.byu.edu