Study Abroad Opportunity in South Africa a Life-Changing Experience
A senior biology major’s interest in non-profit work led her to a unique and uncommon study abroad destination: South Africa. Jennifer Spann, a May 2010 biology graduate from Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, said she wanted to study in a place that was new and completely different, which is part of what led her to choose the University of Cape Town in South Africa for her study abroad experience. She didn’t know anyone who had ever traveled to South Africa, but for her “It was a way of saying, this is my thing. It’s new and different.’”
Aside from wanting a new land to explore, Jennifer also was looking for a program where English was the language of instruction, so while she considered England and Australia as study abroad possibilities, the opportunity to get volunteer experience in South Africa appealed to her and helped her to make her final decision. While abroad, Jennifer took two 400-level biology classes and a history class, which allowed her to meet some of her major and general educations requirements and to see a different higher education system from the United States.
Aside from her classes, labs, and tests, Jennifer spent her weekdays volunteering at a hospital where she helped to care for babies suffering from tuberculosis. She also taught three afternoons each week at an orphanage’s after-school program for 14 to 18-year old students. She said the students were really intelligent, but just did not have the knowledge to reach their potential.
“For example, they had never learned how to solve for x,” Jennifer said, “Once we taught them, they understood well, but they just had never been taught a bunch of these things.”
Jennifer said she felt rewarded in teaching the teenagers because she hoped education would give them the chance for a brighter future. “It was really good for them because if they are educated, it is a way for them to get out of their townships.”
Jennifer didn’t travel to South Africa with any friends from Penn State; instead she made friends with her housemates and the student from the University of Cape Town who lived with the international students. Jennifer said, “He was less like an resident assistant and more like someone to show you the ropes.”
The most memorable person Jennifer met while studying abroad was her unofficial tour guide, who had fascinating life stories about living through apartheid. “He was like the mayor of the town,” Jennifer said. “He had positive connections with anyone and everyone.”
Jennifer’s family came to visit her so they could see and experience her South African life with her. She had the opportunity to travel within South Africa, as well as to the nearby countries of Namibia and Lesotho, allowing her to see and experience a different way of life for a short time.
Jennifer said that through studying abroad, she got to experience an adventure while trying out the work that she’s interested in, non-profits. “I thought I’d get a taste and see if it’s what I want to do before I make it a career.”
In addition to her study abroad experience, Jennifer also completed a summer internship last year with Accenture, which led to a full-time offer that she has accepted. She is interested in pharmaceutical consulting in the near future, but her aspirations include “…non-profit work that involves biology, like educating people about places like Africa and its health.”
For Jennifer, studying abroad had academic, personal, and professional benefits that would have been hard to imagine before she boarded the plane to Cape Town.
For more information about study abroad opportunities, visit the Penn State Education Abroad website.
The Office of Science Engagement website has information about international opportunities, internships, and other career programs intended specifically for science majors.