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It has been said that great moments are born from great opportunity. Thanks to Florida States new Editing, Writing and Media study abroad program a great opportunity that was helped made possible by Susan Hellstrom many great moments are about to be made for Florida State students. Starting in summer 2014, nearly a dozen students will embark on a memorable trip where they will stay in Valencia, Spain, EWMs first official study abroad session, for 35 days. EWMs new study abroad program has been a few years in the making. Hellstrom, one of the creators of the program, began the process to submit a proposal to International Programs at FSU in January 2012, and she says the idea developed from a conversation with a student during her Editing Workshop class that she taught for many semesters alongside co-instructor Jack Clifford. The student expressed that she would have loved to travel and study abroad, but she opted not to because there werent any EWM classes available overseas. So I thought, Wow, theres a great opportunity. Why shouldnt EWM students have this opportunity? Hellstrom says. It seemed to me that there was a need, that EWM students would surely want to study abroad, so I figured what the heck Ill write a proposal and propose to teach a newsletter class and another class. It made sense to me that editing skills were always valuable to EWM students, so I thought a good way to do the second class would be to have an editing course. After speaking with that student and watching the EWM program skyrocket to more than 700 students in its first years of existence, Hellstrom submitted her proposal to teach in London during the summer of 2013. That idea didnt work out, however. The International Programs office did like the content of Hellstroms proposal, though, and staff members encouraged

2 Hellstrom to re-submit it for Valencia. When Hellstrom submitted her ideas in January 2013, it was successful. Im super excited about this because, for a while, it seemed there wasnt any possibility it would happen, but thanks to International Programs and specifically Ceil Bare, director of program management, who thought it was a good idea and worked with Jack and myself to help make it happen, the department got on board with the program, Hellstrom said. Studying abroad isnt for everyone, but there are a lot of students who would like to study abroad and do something in their program, and thats why Im really excited about it. One of the students who is equally as excited about the program is Nicole Meneses, a senior in the Editing, Writing and Media program. Born in Quito, Ecuador and living there until she was seven years old, Meneses says she was born with wanderlust in her blood. She fueled that desire in the summer of 2013 by traveling with two friends to St. Thomas for two weeks, learning the ropes of carefree living and living every day the island-life way. Every vacation or trip abroad comes with its own personal experiences and highlights, Meneses said. I always learn so much more and leave wanting more. Luckily for Meneses, EWMs study abroad program was created just in time before she graduated. Throughout the five weeks in Valencia, students will get to participate in the Spain Broad Curriculums social and cultural calendar events by visiting local media outlets that may include newspapers or television stations, a City of Arts and Sciences tour and a Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia tour. The students staying in Valencia will be with other broad curriculum students during their stay, which Hellstrom says is a nice advantage from a student standpoint and will allow students to enhance their experience by meeting other similar students. Classes will be offered Monday through Thursday with Hellstroms classes being taught on Monday and Wednesday,

3 allowing three-day weekends to take trips with other students to nearby cities such as Madrid. The program offers a total of four classes; students are required to take six credits with a maximum cap at nine credits. The classes, though open to all majors, were created specifically with the EWM students in mind. I know that itll offer a really nice opportunity for students that are EWM and want to study abroad. And who knows, maybe itll attract other students who think, Id like to go to Spain and write stories about Spain, Hellstrom said. With the rising number of students in Florida who speak Spanish, the program will create an opportunity for them to utilize their language skills in an environment that will help to also strengthen those skills. It is possible that it could attract more students, but that wasnt my first goal my first goal was to give EWM students a really nice opportunity to study abroad and still have courses that count in their program. Hellstrom will be teaching a newsletter class and an editing workshop in Valencia. Both classes will be helpful for the students final project to compile an article in a magazine-style publication that students will be able to show to potential employers or graduate schools. The two remaining classes, which are not required for EWM students but can be counted as electives, will be an art history class and a humanities class. In a way, its kind of really cool because in the workshop class, well be focusing on creating a publication from idea to actual publication. In the other class, well be talking about editing the role of an editor and so on. So in the end, well probably be doing some editing of the stories that students are writing on. Theyll overlap nicely, Hellstrom said. Meneses, who is signed up for both classes taught by Hellstrom, has prepared for this trip mentally, academically and financially. Mentally, she has made sure to stay focused on her

4 current studies and responsibilities to avoid getting distracted before this important event. Academically, she had been planning her schedule for semesters beforehand to figure out the amount of classes and which ones to take during her time in Valencia. Financially, Meneses has been saving for months and figuring out a payment plan with her parents. Preparation for my trip has been a long time coming. I have done a great deal of research about Valencia, trips I am interested in taking, financial and academic preparation I should take for a study abroad program, and so on, Meneses said. Meneses thinks the benefits from this experience are going to be tremendous. Although she is already fluent in Spanish, she hopes to improve her language skills while also learning about Spains culture, history, art and landmarks. She knows that this will be her temporary home for five weeks, and her worries for the trip are far and few in between, thanks to support from FSU. The program is set up in a way to make getting to know your way around really easy. They give you directions and show you how to live in this new city, Meneses said. My biggest concern about my trip is loving it too much and never wanting to come home. I am beyond excited June cannot get here soon enough. Meneses will be staying behind in Spain for a week after the program ends to travel and soak up as much of Valencias culture as she can, something that Hellstrom says is a smart thing for students to do in order to get the most out of it. Hellstrom, who has done her share of traveling abroad, knows that the benefits for the students studying abroad will be incredible. The thing about studying abroad is that we live in a global marketplace, a global world. And in Florida especially, we meet a lot of international people, Hellstrom said. So its a really good experience to be on the other side of it, to be an international student yourself and to look

5 at the United States from the eyes of another country and to see through their media how the United States is portrayed. Hellstrom recalls the first time she went abroad and had a job in Germany. Described as a grunt job, she said it was eye opening for her to see the United States from a different perspective. While she remembers how much she loved being in Germany and learning about the countrys culture, she also remembers thinking at the time how much she appreciated the United States and the opportunities we have. So in that sense, Id like to see every student have that experience, because it changes you, Hellstrom said. It helps you understand world events better whenever you see these people holding up signs with bad views on America, you can understand. It also makes you appreciate your own county more in some ways. One issue that Hellstrom says students in the program will encounter when in Valencia in unemployment for Spanish teens and young adults. According to The New York Times, the unemployment rate in the United States for ages 18-24 is 16 percent, and for people aged 25-29, the unemployment rate is 9 percent. While this number may seem alarming at first, imagine if it was 56 percent for ages 18-24 and 34 percent for ages 25-29. The second set of these drastic unemployment numbers belong to those of young adults who live in Spain. According to Hellstrom, itll be enlightening for the students to be exposed to a different culture where theyre dealing with the same issues as the United States, but to a worse degree. I think our students need to get a taste of that and yes I know weve had our problems with unemployment here and I know its hard for you all to find a job, but theyre in a worse situation, Hellstrom said. I think itll be interesting for our students to look at other students their own age and see what life is like for them.

6 From her past experiences, Hellstrom knows that some students will embrace every minute of being abroad, while others might be apprehensive. However, thats what she describes as one of her favorite parts seeing how people react to it. After more than three years of planning, proposing, re-proposing and finalizing, Hellstrom is now able to see a concept that she helped develop come to life and shes excited. And thats the thing you never know how its going to hit you. From a student standpoint, especially if its your first time, you never know how its going to hit you, Hellstrom said. Even when youre there, you know there are moments that are exhilarating, but there are hard moments, too, when you may be home sick. But you learn things you learn things about yourself, the students over there, and you learn things about other countries and your own country.