Internship, study abroad create passport for life

When UC Davis student Navi Kaur arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico, last fall, she was completely out of her comfort zone.

As a student in the Quarter Abroad Program, she couldn't have imagined her experiences of the next 10 weeks -- witnessing a natural birth, navigating a foreign transportation system and discovering her inner strength. By the end of her stay, the pre-med student couldn't imagine leaving.

"None of us wanted to come home!" says Kaur, a fourth-year student from Tracy. "We loved it there."

Kaur and 34 other UC Davis students were part of the inaugural Oaxaca Quarter Abroad -- a unique program offered through the Education Abroad Center (EAC) and the Internship and Career Center (ICC). Combining an international internship in the health field with classes taught by UC Davis professors, it represents a growing opportunity for UC Davis students to study and gain work experience as they explore the world.

'Life changing'

The Oaxaca program was open to health majors with Spanish skills. Students participated in clinical rotations two or three days a week and also studied health issues in Spanish two days a week to improve their cultural and linguistic competency. Because political unrest developed in Oaxaca, the students were moved to Puerto Escondido to finish the quarter.

"You won't find a single student who didn't find this experience life changing," says trip leader Adela De La Torre, professor and director of Chicana/o studies. "This class truly saw difficulties in how people survive and learned through hands-on experience. That creates empathy and helps students reaffirm career goals."

Expanding opportunities

While the UC systemwide Education Abroad Program has grown to offer approximately 150 programs in 35 countries, not as many opportunities existed for students in the sciences and engineering as for those in the arts and humanities. UC Davis developed the Oaxaca program in partnership with Child Family Health International of San Francisco, which offers service-learning opportunities to advance health care around the world.

"We saw a need to develop a course with a focus on health, in large part to make study abroad more attainable to students in the sciences," says Marcie Kirk Holland of the ICC. "In order for students to get into medical school or a health professional program, they need hands-on experience. This is one of the best opportunities for pre-med students I've seen."

De La Torre says students were involved in births, surgeries and immunizations, and educated on infectious diseases and parasites. Their experiences were similar to those of medical students in Mexico, but certainly beyond those of undergraduates in the United States.

No matter a student's major, time spent studying abroad and being immersed in the culture of another country can be life-altering, says Lynn Fowler, coordinator of UC Davis Quarter Abroad. The experience helps clarify career and academic goals, provides a network of contacts, and helps students have a more meaningful personal statement when they apply to graduate or professional school.

In London too

The Quarter Abroad program has grown in the past seven years to include destinations such as Cuba, South Africa, Spain, Japan, Italy, Argentina and London. In London, students also have the opportunity to combine internships with coursework in a variety of fields from fashion, business and politics to journalism and publishing.

Allison Leung, a senior from Pleasanton majoring in international relations and economics, will spend her last quarter in London before graduating in June.

"I've just always wanted to go to London," Leung says. "Being able to combine courses with an internship will allow me to experience firsthand the European workplace, in case I end up there in my career."

Fowler encourages students wanting to study abroad to start planning as early as freshman year. Study abroad is not always more expensive, and it qualifies for financial aid. Nor does it mean students will take longer to graduate, Fowler adds.

UC Davis Students can choose from three programs administered by the Education Abroad Center. UC Davis faculty members lead the Summer Abroad and Quarter Abroad programs. And the UC Education Abroad Program offers summer, quarter, semester or full academic-year programs.