Arcadia Abroad Alumni Stories from Scotland and Beyond
We all acknowledge that the pandemic has lifted us away from some of the hustle and bustle of our daily routines. But that has not been entirely unpleasant, as the solitude has revealed some unexpected moments of nostalgia and insight.
This fall, after interviewing a number of current program participants, the Arcadia Scotland staff conceived the idea of delving into the past to engage with some of our wonderful alumni - to see, upon reflection, what their experience studying abroad meant to them.
The result is the Stories from Scotland series, currently published on the Arcadia Scotland blog in numerous installments, with more planned in the 
future. This series of interviews is well worth a watch and a read -- as it reminds us, as professionals, why we do what we do.
Our colleagues in the Arcadia London Center, as well, interviewed past students on the Arcadia England blog, to see the ways in which study abroad lives up to its initial excitement; the challenges of reverse culture shock; and adapting to challenges (something all of us have had to do this past year).
We at Arcadia feel encouraged and enlightened by our alumni responses to these thoughtful questions, and we wanted to share them with you, as well.
Scotland Stories from the Arcadia Scotland Blog:
- Jenna Minser and Kayla Czaplicki: “Make study abroad work for you”
- Aashika Suseendran: “I was on that thirsty quest for adventure.”
- Emily Brown: “Once you do it, it is worth it.”
- Grace Wright-Pazdra: “I’m glad Arcadia was there for us 24/7.”
- Courtney Weiner: “I’ll make more time for myself now, which study abroad definitely taught me.”
- Sam Manyak: “Studying abroad was one of the reasons they hired me.”
England Stories from the Arcadia England blog:
- Mandy Wall, Trudy-Ann Brown, & Natalie Alcantara: "Expect the unexpected"
- Emily Brenner, Samuel Boden, Jordan Cameron, Nicolette Kabat, Emilie Vasquez, Mary Murray, & Elizabeth Smedley: "What has study abroad ever done for us?"