Many people share the dream of living abroad and experiencing a foreign culture from the inside. The Study Abroad program at SRJC allows students and faculty to experience this dream, which many have held dear for years.

“When I graduated from high school, I went to France and toured with a group, and I sort of made a vow to myself to return to Europe,” said SRJC Theater Arts Instructor Wendy Wisely. She wanted to return to Europe and live within the culture, not as a tourist. She never forgot that.

“Two of my colleagues, Laura Downing Lee and Janet McCulloch, had gone to London and talked so highly of it, and so when the opportunity came up again I talked with my family,” Wisely said. They encouraged her to apply. “It’s sort of like a dream come true. I’m still in a state of shock and disbelief.”

Wisely believes that the program is special because students can not only take classes they need to take, but they also participate in the culture rather than staying in a dormitory or on a tour bus.

“It’s an opportunity for instructors to teach in a completely different city,” said SRJC English Instructor Janet McCulloch. “Just like the students, living some place for three months is very different than visiting. You get a completely different perspective.” McCulloch compared it to the Holy Grail, from an English instructor’s perspective.

McCulloch said it helps students become more culturally and politically aware. “The study abroad program really is a life changing experience,” McCulloch said. “Most of the students have traveled, and some of them have lived on their own, but living and traveling in a different culture, it helps the students become more focused in their education. They just have a much broader perspective when they come back.”

The Study Abroad program is arranged through American Institute for Foreign Studies (AIFS). AIFS arranges the contract with the University of London, Birkbeck College, for rooms and access to the Student Union and other campus facilities.