Islanders overseas: Tales and Perspectives from Study Abroad Students

by Stefanie Cornell

Published in the February 23- March 8, 2017 issue of the Washington Island Observer

For several Island college students, the chance to study abroad has been an experience of a lifetime. Four recent returnees from abroad are Raymond McDonald, Joshua Mann, Sarah Waldron, and Sophia Hagen. All four of these students graduated from Washington Island High School (Ray, Josh, and Sarah in June of 2013, and Sophia in June of 2014) and are attending colleges across Wisconsin. 

Ray McDonald (senior at Saint Norbert College) and Josh Mann (senior at Lakeland University) studied together in Limerick, Ireland, for the fall semester of 2015. Throughout their travel abroad, there are things they found to be the most memorable. For Ray, having the chance to see Rome, Italy, was the best experience. “Rome was unbelievable. Being able to see and experience what we learned about in school was amazing,” Ray explains. “The architecture and buildings were indescribable.” 

For Josh, the depiction of Irish culture in the Aran Islands (located off the west coast of Ireland) was his favorite experience. According to him, “The islands showed the true Irish culture and how it lives on. The people on the islands have farms. They raise cattle and grow crops in their gardens… They live such a simplistic lifestyle and are very happy.” Maybe it was this happy nature that reminded Ray McDonald of our own island. “I found Ireland very similar to Washington Island,” Ray says. “The people were incredibly friendly and open. Very easy going.”

Sarah Waldron (senior at UW-La Crosse) studied in Florence, Italy, for the spring semester of 2015. Sarah’s most memorable trip was to Switzerland and the Swiss Alps. The immense natural beauty of  Interlaken made it one of her favorite places. She had the chance to paraglide over the Swiss Alps and recounts, “The view flying over the Swiss Alps is a mental image captured in my memory forever.”

Sophia Hagen (sophomore at Saint Norbert College) studied in Rome, Italy, for the fall semester of 2016. She had the chance to travel to Nice, France, which she fell in love with instantly. Sophia took a boat tour and tells of “snorkeling in the clearest water I've ever seen.” She says, “We saw dolphins on the way back, and the whole experience was just something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do.”

All four of these students had countless experiences they will remember and are still amazed they had the opportunity to have. It has sparked something inside each of them: a curiosity, an appreciation for the simple things, an eagerness, and a respect for the world around them. According to Sarah Waldron, “I loved being immersed in different cultures and making friends with people whose life experiences are so unlike my own.” 

Not only was it a chance to learn about different cultures; it was also a chance to represent their own as Americans and Islanders. It gave these four students an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be from their hometown. “The Island is such a unique place to grow up,” Sophia Hagen explains. “It’s set apart in its own bubble from the rest of the world.”