From the moment students enter Eastern, they begin to hear about studying abroad. They hear about it through other students, through their advisors or through the vendors that have pop-up’s around campus. Studying abroad induces wild ideas of traveling around the world, learning new languages and eating lots of great food. Though this holds true, there is more to gain from this experience. De’shon Cooper, a junior at Eastern, recently returned from studying abroad in London. He had a lot of positives to share about his experience.
Cooper learned about studying abroad his freshman year through a Living and Learning vendor. After he spoke to the campus coordinator Brian Minster, he decided to study abroad. While he was there, he studied business and organizational economies, Christian worship, and Shakespeare in London. When asked why other students should study abroad, his response was undeniable. “You owe it to yourself,” Cooper said, “We’ll never be in this stage of life again, or be in this moment in time again,” Cooper said. He goes on to say studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to learn about yourself, life and this world.
Although Cooper said that there were many great experiences gained on this trip, he had a few personal favorites. He mentioned seeing Hercules the musical live, exploring the most prominent places in London and also traveling to other countries. Cooper spoke excitedly about being able to visit Mykonos, Greece. All these experiences only highlighted what studying abroad has to offer. Through this semester in London, he learned more about the Christian ethos. There were many chances to strengthen his spirituality, “With Knights, men’s bible study, and Selah, gathering, breaking bread, worship and the Word,” Cooper said.
While I concluded my discussion about studying abroad, I asked De’shon to name something he learned that didn’t come from his curriculums in London. “I received a lot of affirmations about both my vocation and character,” Cooper said. As he discerned his calling into ministry, he was able to also learn about his own traits as an individual made in God’s image as well. He strengthened his humility, kindness and leadership while he was abroad due to the kinds of people he was surrounded by. “Life is limitless, so why limit yourself? Don’t ruminate on what you can’t change, only focus on how you react” Cooper said. Studying abroad will have many curveballs, but those should not stop you from exploring the world.
