Study abroad students bond over stories, experiences

Returning to the U.S. after studying abroad or coming to campus as a new international student can be difficult. In order to ease the transition for these students, the Padnos International Center hosted its first Study Abroad Story Slam on September 13 at the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

At the event, participants told five-minute stories about their international or study abroad experiences in an open-mic format.

Students who studied in nine countries and international students from four countries shared stories. Austin Van Dyke, a senior who is majoring in natural resources management, shared a tale of his faculty leader's heroic run-in with a polar bear in Oslo, Norway. Joshua Bryant, a senior majoring in computing and information systems, confessed to confusion over complicated toilets in Tokyo.

Nearly 40 participants bonded over their transformative experiences. Ehren Kuzekov, coordinator of Study Abroad and International Partnerships, said students were eager to have an outlet to share stories. 

"Their experiences are more than what they can share with friends or family,"  Kuzekov said. "We wanted to create a space where there’s a commonality and a space where the experience of studying abroad is celebrated."

The event's format originated at the Moth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling. 

Visit gvsu.edu/studyabroad to learn more about study abroad programs.

-- written by Madison Barnes, student writer