UMW senior Ann Izzard peered out into the incredible mist. The grueling hike to the peak of the high-elevation cloud-forest mountain in Panama’s Altos de Campaña National Park had left her tired and sore. But the marathon trek turned out to be worth it.
“The view from the top was breathtaking,” said Izzard, a biology major who joined the recent UMW in Panama “Tropical Ecology” trip, led by biology professors Andrew Dolby and Alan Griffith.
The adventure was among several spring break excursions that offered UMW students a chance to live and learn abroad – if only for one week. Dispersing across the globe, the travelers set out into Europe, South and Central America, and Canada to tour museums, study the environment, sample sports overseas and more.
Senior Kelly Morgan, a computer science and anthropology major, joined the UMW in Québec trip, flinging herself into the French-Canadian culture and language. The group, led by Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures Scott Powers, traveled the Great White North, exploring Québec and Montréal, with stops at the grand Château Frontenac on the St. Lawrence River, the unique Montréal BioDome and Duceppe Theatre.
Other groups visited the United Kingdom for “The Soccer Experience,” Austria to study the culture and the Holocaust, London to scope out British museums, Guatemala to study “Grassroots Sustainability,” and Ireland for the ninth UMW Men’s Rugby Ireland Tour.
Nathan Neri, a junior who majors in marketing, counted the Guinness Brewery tour among the many highlights of the Emerald Isle trip.
“How could it get better than going with your entire [UMW] team,” Neri said, “while also getting to play against the best college teams in Ireland.”
UMW Abroad offers a wide variety of winter break, spring break, and summer programs. To learn how you can earn academic credit on an international program, visit the Center for International Education’s website to learn more.
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