Why Study Abroad?

Reported by Audrey Grice

Illustrated by Mia Baukol

In the U.S., approximately 9.3% of undergraduate students study abroad; of those, only about 36% stay for a semester or longer. At George Fox University, however, over 50% of students participate in a study abroad experience. What makes the GFU program stand out, and how does studying abroad shape the college experience?

“I always talk about the before and after,” said David Martinez, director of the Center for Study Abroad. “Your life takes a trajectory, and then the study abroad sort of interrupts all that and just kind of shapes things around. And that’s super exciting and invigorating. And terrifying.”

Before taking on his current role, Martinez lived and studied in numerous countries. Raised in Spain, he studied abroad in Lithuania and Brazil, traveled to Myanmar (formerly Burma), Peru, the Philippines, and Spain, and lived in Taiwan for two years. His cross-cultural experiences inspired him to help remove the misconceptions and obstacles that keep students from going abroad.

“For me, undergrad [study abroad] was very impactful,” Martinez said. “There was a lot of responsibility all of a sudden kind of thrust upon me… Then also the adventure aspect of it. It’s also very lonely. It was a super lonely time.”

He views college as a unique window for international exploration, something many people will not have the chance to do again later in life.

Senior Abigail Weber studied abroad in Seville, Spain, last year and said the country itself played a key role in her decision.

“I wanted to study abroad to see a new part of God’s creation and gain more understanding of a place and people I didn’t know,” Weber said. “I expected the buildings to blow my mind, to love the food, and to enjoy living in a new place. My expectations were fully met.”

Junior Jordyn Tagudan is preparing to travel on a Juniors Abroad trip to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in May 2025. For her, the opportunity to travel with college friends to places she might not visit otherwise, and at a reduced price, was a significant draw.

“I’m hoping to gain a new perspective on European culture,” Tagudan said. “Coming from Hawaii and living in Oregon for three years, I’m very accustomed to American culture.”

While not every study abroad experience is seamless, students often return with a new sense of self and personal growth. Martinez highlighted the value of navigating unfamiliar places.

“Students come back empowered,” he said. “It’s very empowering when you’ve never been to a major capital city, for instance, Madrid, and it takes you a couple of days to figure out the subway system. Like, ‘Oh wow, I can navigate a major capital city in Europe.’ Those stories and those adventures, they stay with you forever.”

Weber also experienced challenges while living abroad, particularly with language and emotional expression.

“It’s hard to go somewhere alone,” she said. “I think not being able to fully describe my emotions and how I was feeling in another language was difficult. There were times I felt extremely homesick.”

Returning home can be unexpectedly tricky as well. Students often face “reverse culture shock” when reentering American life.

“I think one of the hardest things, though, was actually coming back and people not really being able to understand my experiences or the ways in which I had changed,” Weber said.

Still, Martinez sees these challenges as essential to the growth process and urges students to view them as opportunities for resilience.

“You’re never going to travel like this ever again,” he said. “It’s so unique in the sense of a student being immersed in an educational system surrounded by other students, not just locals but also students from other parts of the world.”

He also emphasized how George Fox makes studying abroad more accessible financially.

“The way [GFU] funds Juniors Abroad is super generous,” Martinez said. “Students keep all their financial aid when they go. That’s not the case for a lot of universities. It just shows how… important it is for students to get abroad and have an international experience.”

One of Martinez’s main goals is ensuring students can take courses abroad that count toward their degrees.

“One of my goals is to embed the study abroad experience within the major,” he said. “You can still study abroad because we found classes that are equivalent… because I do think it’s so important.”

While studying abroad may not be the right choice for everyone, Martinez encourages students to push past uncertainty and step into the unknown.

“It’s so enriching,” he said. “It’s so stretching. It’s so lonely. It’s so fulfilling, and on so many levels, that I really don’t want students to pass up on this opportunity for reasons or excuses that are not good.”

Weber had similar advice for students considering studying abroad.

“Enjoy the moment,” she said. “It will be really hard at times, but try to get out and meet people. Experiencing a new culture is so much fun!”