An impressionable winter in Europe

Most first year students do not anticipate they will study abroad after only one semester of college. However, Andrew Clickard was in a unique position to do so, and he took a leap of faith.

“It would be foolish not to take the opportunity,” Clickard said. “When in doubt, take the daring path…you can always fall back to safety later.”

Clickard, a freshman physics and mathematics dual major, welcomed the challenge of studying European culture abroad. Clickard and the rest of his group studied for three weeks at Jagiellonian University of Polish Language and Culture in Krakow, Poland. While there, he took classes on the European Jewish Experience and Post-Communist Transformations in Central Eastern Europe.

Clickard also spent time in Kyiv, Ukraine; Budapest, Hungary; Prague, Czech Republic; and Berlin, Germany. There were walking tours in each of the cities focusing on historical sites, monuments, and culture.

Auschwitz Tour

Chernobyl Tour

“We also had some free time to explore on our own,” Clickard said. “In this way, we were able to appreciate the cultures at our own pace and make our own impressions of each city.”

Clickard attributes this trip to an increase in his self-confidence and his ability to communicate with people from other cultures, as well as with people in his own culture.