By Lucy Berbeo | Art by Brave the Woods

Whether visiting another country for the first time or gaining wide-ranging perspectives on campus, UCLA’s undergraduate students in all majors are receiving a truly global education. For many, this experience proves a turning point in their academic and future lives.

Each year, students can choose from approximately 180 study abroad programs offered through UCLA’s International Education Office, which also counsels participants on academic, cultural and financial issues. Options span more than 40 countries and include faculty-led summer courses with UCLA Travel Study, hands-on work opportunities with the UCLA Global Internship Program and traditional immersion at partner universities in the UC Education Abroad Program.

“Through study abroad, our students learn not only about the world but about themselves — their passions, skills and abilities,” says Adriana Galván, dean of the UCLA Division of Undergraduate Education. “They are future leaders in their fields, and the study abroad experience is often a first step on that journey.”

Here are some stories of the entire world becoming the backdrop for a Bruin education.

BLADAM GOMEZ

Hometown: Oxnard, California
Majors: Pre-law sociology | Public affairs
Study Abroad Path: UCLA Global Internship Program

My goal is to become an attorney, so I’m exploring different areas of study to decide what kind of law I’ll ultimately pursue. I chose this internship program because I wanted to see how workplaces can differ culturally in other parts of the world, and because I had never traveled outside North America. With the rise in technology and globalization, I think it’s more important than ever to be exposed to other cultures and develop intercultural respect and understanding.

In Ho Chi Minh City, I interned for an international corporate law firm, helping with investigations; I also learned about new legal areas, including intellectual property. On one of our cases, a client was interested in opening a business in either Australia or in Vietnam, and my job was to help effectively persuade them to choose Vietnam. It felt meaningful working to boost investment in the economy of a country that has been overlooked by businesses in the past.

Some of my favorite memories are trying pho for the first time in Vietnam — the best pho I’ve ever tasted — and traveling to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I also enjoyed meeting a lot of new people from different parts of the world.

Through this experience, I gained more confidence that I want to pursue law — and I discovered that traveling is a passion of mine! For anyone considering study abroad, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. I never thought I would be so far away from home, and now traveling is something I truly love.

CATHERINE CHARLES

Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Majors: Cognitive Science | European languages and transcultural studies with French and Francophone
Study Abroad Path: UCLA Travel Study

My love of French started in middle school, when I did a Belgian exchange program and was motivated to become fluent. I added cognitive science as a second major because I love its interdisciplinary nature, with concentrations in psychology and computer science; this major has also sparked my interest in coding and application development.

Given that climate change is one of today’s most pressing issues, I was inspired to visit Nantes, a city known as a green capital of Europe. I learned that we can take amazing aspects from one culture and adopt them into our own — for example, many of Nantes’ sustainability efforts would be easily applicable here in Los Angeles. I enjoyed our day trip to the salt marshes in the nearby medieval town of Guerande, where we saw the biodiversity up close and observed the ancient practice of salt harvesting.

We learned about Nantes’ history as well: at the height of the transatlantic slave trade, the city was a major slave port, a role it acknowledges today with the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. The memorial’s interior was designed to resemble that of a slave ship, and as you enter, you can see the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the word “freedom” written in over 40 different languages.

Language study allows you to build cross-cultural relationships, which are especially important in the rapidly changing cultural landscapes in the U.S. and abroad. I hope to continue to build such relationships here at UCLA and across other communities in the future.

ANTWAN ADAMS

Hometown: San Francisco, California
Majors: Political science | Communication
Study Abroad Path: UCLA Travel Study

Coming from a multicultural family with French roots, and having fallen in love with the French language in high school, I had always dreamed of going to Paris. By studying abroad, I hoped to improve my French language skills as well as push myself to adapt and be part of a world vastly different from the one I was used to.

My time in Paris was amazing — I thought I would feel intimidated traveling to another country on my own, but I underestimated myself. I made so many new friends, including fellow students from the UC system and other schools as well as French locals. I also learned to put my phone down and live my life in the moment — going to galleries and museums, having picnics every day, exploring the city or even just reading on a park bench were some of the things I hardly ever did in America, but that are hallmarks of French culture.

Academically, my time in the program amplified my goals to become fluent in French; professionally, it pushed me to seek out careers based in Paris. As a student with a focus on international relations, the study abroad experience aligned perfectly with my aspirations to one day work in the United Nations and in the political sphere in an effort to promote and improve global relations and tackle issues that affect us all as humans.

The biggest piece of advice I have for any Bruin considering study abroad is to have an open mind and to not be afraid to take a risk. It’s important to have a game plan, prepare yourself and map out your options, but don’t let your fears stop you — regardless of where you go, you are bound to have an incredible experience.

NAOMI HAMMONDS

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Major: Psychobiology, with minors in cognitive science and entrepreneurship
Study Abroad Path: UCLA Travel Study

As I am pursuing a career in medicine, I want to provide the best form of care to a larger body of people. By speaking Spanish, the second most spoken language in the U.S., I hope to aid in minimizing a disparity that currently exists in medicine. I knew by going to Spain I would be pushed out of my comfort zone, but I welcomed the challenge and ended up learning so much in just six weeks.

Before traveling, I read an article about Americans being some of the worst behaved travelers across the world. This is because in general, when Americans decide to travel, we fail to educate ourselves before arriving at the foreign destination. This program taught me to do my research before traveling and recognize the space I will be occupying when I am abroad.

I truly believe everyone has a story comprised of their culture, traditions and experiences. A substantial amount of people believe learning should only be looked at from a traditional schooling standpoint; I challenge that idea by believing some of the most important knowledge is gained by learning about and connecting with others, and in this program I feel I did just that.

Making friends with students in the program and people in Spain was the best gift — I’ll never forget that in our last week abroad, my friends and I decided to revisit some of our favorite places and restaurants. We took group photos, exchanged social media and simply enjoyed the small moments.

I believe a lot of students worry about financials when it comes to studying abroad. I recommend starting early in looking at the various scholarships and resources provided by the International Education Office at UCLA, which allowed me to fully fund my trip.

ANTHONY RECINOS

Hometown: Costa Mesa/Riverside, California
Major: Spanish
Study Abroad Path: UCLA Travel Study

My decision to go to Argentina came very suddenly — I was going over graduation requirements with my counselor and saw that I still had a small number of upper division units to complete. On a whim, I decided to top off my college experience by studying abroad. I earned a scholarship as well, which was super helpful in getting me to take that step.

The program, “Taking it to the Streets: Community Service, Social Culture, Human Rights and Tango in Literature, Music and Film,” turned out to be one of the best experiences of my time as a student. The Argentine people are politically engaged and passionate — anyone you talk to will discuss politics with you, and on our first day in the country there was a political protest at one of our destinations. This was in 2016, an American election year, so whenever I disclosed that I was from the U.S., the locals would ask how I felt about the American presidential candidates at that time.

Although I am Latino and speak Spanish, I was surprised at how Argentines and I share a language but are vastly different culturally and in many other ways. Some of my favorite moments included visiting a ranch and learning about gauchos (the cowboys of Argentina), learning to dance tango (Argentines love their tango — you see it everywhere!) and riding the subway. My favorite, though, was visiting Iguaçu Falls, an enormous set of waterfalls on the border of Argentina and Brazil — they are absolutely unreal and make you feel small.

The experience as a whole was life-changing — I feel like Argentina taught me the true meaning of community and being there for your neighbor. I would encourage Bruins to make the effort to study abroad if at all possible, and to do so with an open heart and mind.