The whole word has been affected in different ways due to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The virus has infected around 1,273,990 people, taken the lives of about 69,444 individuals globally, and around 260,247 have recovered. The virus is contagious and can be transferred through the air. The US especially has taken to “shelter-in-place”/social distancing precautions to help stop the spread. In other countries, similar methods are in place. In these difficult times, it is hard to think about traveling because that is how the virus was brought to the US.

However, studying abroad is an opportunity that only about 2% of college students participate in, and we should not let the image of studying abroad, International Education, and even traveling be considered unappealing due to the current situation. Presently, the Director of International Education at Texas Lutheran University, Charla Bailey, is staying hopeful for the future of International Education. Charla states that “most of the summer programs have been cancelled. However, we still have students moving forward with their applications for the fall semester, which I applaud. Everyone is taking things a day at a time to see what will happen with the Coronavirus situation. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the fall term will work out.”

Additionally, TLU student Ty Edwards is following this one day at a time strategy as well to keep his spirits high about the fall. He states, “I’m not cancelling my flight until something drastic changes, or the flight line or Harlaxton cancels, and you can be sure that I’ll be on my way over as soon as the next opportunity arises. Until then, half of my heart is in Europe. Like Scout said in To Kill a Mockingbird, ‘Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.’ So in the back of my mind, I’m thankful that this terrible situation that we are all in has allowed me to see the importance of travel to me.” His hopes along with others continue to encourage others to keep International Education alive.

During this time, it is especially important to stay positive about the world and help spread the positivity to others. TLU student Samantha Dearing states that she is still excited to study abroad in the fall semester because “the thrill and excitement that comes from experiencing new things keeps [her] working hard to make study abroad a possibility” and is hoping that this could be her chance to travel before life becomes busy after college. Throughout this series of articles, I want to share with you 9 stories of TLU students that have studied abroad to show the impact of this experience and spark the interest of others to journey outside of their comfort zone to learn new cultures.

Graphic Credit: Lauren Morales

Written By: Audrey West