Study Abroad

Emily Wotzka studied at the University of Chester in England. She took classes in both fashion design and journalism. Classes at the University of Chester were very immersive and engaging. Emily’s fashion design professors had lots of hands-on experience, and she was intrigued by their background and their creative process.

While in England, Emily was fortunate to schedule her classes from Monday to Wednesday, so she spent her long weekends traveling Europe. She visited Scotland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The travel was one of her favorite parts, and she believes that study abroad is a great way to see the world. Another of Emily’s favorites were the friendships that she made. Two of her friends were from Australia and Argentina, and she was able to meet others from all over the world. Everyone that she met was very friendly and welcoming, and she developed an appreciation for different cultures by meeting new people. Emily’s biggest take-away from the experience is that, “life is all about the people that we surround ourselves with.” She encourages others to take the leap and try study abroad; the experience has enriched her own life and has opened her eyes to many new experiences.

Mackenzie Koenig studied at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy. She continued to study fashion and took classes in Luxury Business, Digital Journalism, Italian Culture and Traditions and Beginner Italian Language. Mackenzie enjoyed learning about luxury business, as it was a new avenue of the fashion industry that she has not had much experience with. The topic was intriguing to her and learning with students from around the world opened her eyes to new perspectives. In Milan, the college campus differed from NDSU. The Cattolica campus was spread across the city, as opposed to NDSU where all buildings are concentrated in one area. This gave Mackenzie a chance to explore the city. Milan was an exciting city to live in, and there was always some-thing for her to do or explore. In addition to attending classes, Mackenzie had the opportunity to travel across Europe. Destinations included Paris, Munich and Edinburgh, Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre and Verona. She loved the ease to “pack up and go” and explore Europe.

Throughout the experience, Mackenzie learned a lot about herself, including resilience confidence, and how to take a pause and enjoy the moment, as Europeans do. She is very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad and would encourage all students to take this chance to see the world!