Pitlochry, Scotland, “the Queen’s View, named for Queen Victoria”
By Emily Everts ’18
When studying abroad, you start from scratch and learn how to make a city and new acquaintances your home and your family. You truly become a citizen of the world. At least that is what happened with me during some remarkable opportunities I had from January to July 2017. First, I spent the spring semester of my junior year in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh. Then, I was lucky enough to be chosen for an Austin College Global Outreach (GO!) Fellowship, and for six weeks in the summer, I taught English to young boys in a Buddhist monastery in Pokhara, Nepal.
I can definitely say my life was changed. Study abroad and its international living immersion are so impactful that every college student should experience them. You are essentially alone and so must develop your own opinions and figure out how to navigate life in a completely new and different environment. I am now much more informed and am keen to learn about what’s going on in the world because I have seen and appreciated firsthand people and places that once were foreign to me. At Austin College, I’m now completing majors in religious studies and anthropology and applying to seminary, where I hope to begin work for my master’s degree in divinity this fall. I serve as the youth director at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Sherman and feel that these experiences have benefited me in preparation for my career. First, being a Presbyterian in Scotland (where it began) was pretty cool. Also, my interactions with people of other religions can help me open the eyes and hearts of those I minister to about people different from ourselves.
More importantly, through everyday life in Scotland and in Nepal, I now recognize lessons learned in critical thinking, in conflict resolution, in loving when it’s difficult—and those skills I will need for a lifetime no matter where my career may take me.
Most of all, my study abroad and GO! Fellowship gave me an unforgettable time where I discovered so much about myself and how to learn to live and grow beyond my own comfort zone. I have been so blessed to be able to have these amazing opportunities at Austin College.
I am a product not only of Austin College; I’m a product of the world.