By Britny Doane, Reporter
Zach Griffith and Hannah Gill have no words to properly express their excitement. Griffith and Gill are two of 16 students who received scholarships from the University of Nebraska system to study abroad in India this summer.
Participants will study in Mumbai and Jalgaon from late June to early July. The trip, India Critical Issues, focuses on India’s development. Topics to be studied include food and water sustainability, entrepreneurship, public health, education and urbanization.
Students will attend lectures at colleges in Mumbai and Jalgaon, and will visit important cultural sites.
The trip was open to students at UNO, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Kearney and University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The scholarships pay for housing, airfare, most meals and local travel. Students are responsible for paying for tuition, fees, passports, vaccinations and insurance. In addition, students will receive three credits for the International Business Study Abroad class.
Griffith, a junior studying accounting and finance, has always wanted to study abroad.
He connected with one of UNO’s study abroad advisers, Emily Hassenstab. When Hassenstab told him about the India trip, Griffith knew it was “right up his alley.”
“I am excited more than anything. I have never been out of the country, and I am ready for a new experience,” Griffith said. “I am hoping to learn, hands on, the real problems of today. I want to get a different perspective on life outside of the U.S.”
Unlike Griffith, Gill has traveled outside of the United States before. The sophomore journalism major previously studied abroad in Norway.
Gill wanted a challenge, and she cut her deadline close, applying one day before the deadline.
Gill has an admittedly romanticized view of India.
“I have all the expectations any American would have,” she said.
She still expects and looks forward to a challenge.
“This program likes to have people who get involved in other cultures without disrupting,” Gill said. “There isn’t a lot one can do to help in three weeks, but realizing the hardships is most important.”
The most rewarding part for Gill is seeing the world.
“I would like to get a more rounded view of the world,” she said. “It is enriching to help others and learn from others at the same time.”
