Lily Huynh/The Cougar
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, UH students are finding that studying abroad offers more than just travel; it’s a chance to gain cultural awareness, challenge assumptions and grow personally.
During the 2024–25 academic year, 512 UH students studied abroad, visiting 41 countries. Thirty were Gilman Scholarship recipients, and more than $525,000 in student scholarship funding was awarded, according to UH Learning Abroad.
More than 280,000 U.S. students studied abroad during the 2022–23 academic year, according to Open Doors, a resource on international education exchange.
“I studied abroad this summer in Spain, and it was so much fun,” said history junior Cadence Pate. “I feel like I got a lot out of it because there are so many different pieces, politically, socially and culturally, that we miss by staying just in America.”
Pate said the experience allowed her to view both the world and the U.S. from a different lens, adding that she was surprised by how much people abroad knew about America. She also gained new insights into Spain and Europe.
“My favorite part about going abroad was learning all about that culture and realizing how many things I didn’t know,” she said. “Even within the language, there’s so much meaning.”
She said financial support from the Honors College made her trip possible, but more students should have access to similar opportunities.
“There are plenty of students whose families might go to places like Jamaica for vacations,” Pate said. “But my family? We’re more like, ‘Hey, there’s food at home.’ So I definitely think there should be more affordable options for students who might never have the chance to go abroad otherwise.”
For international students, studying in the U.S. can be its own form of cultural immersion.
Pre-business student Youngju Shin, who came to UH from South Korea, said the diversity on campus has been eye-opening.
“Studying abroad, especially in America, is a really valuable experience,” Shin said. “Coming from South Korea, where most people are Korean, I don’t get to interact with a lot of different cultures on a daily basis. In the U.S., I get to experience so many different cultures, which is really exciting. And of course, the food is great.”
Shin said he enjoys seeing how people from different backgrounds interact and blend together.
“It’s interesting to realize that even though people come from different countries and backgrounds, in the end, we’re all just people,” he said.
Economics junior Rafael Orpinel Mejia said studying abroad offers opportunities that staying in one country cannot.
“You learn about the culture of the place you’re traveling to, the way people live, and it opens more doors by having the experience of studying in another country,” Orpinel said.
He also believes affordability is key to making study abroad more inclusive.
“If Americans, and everyone living in the United States, had the chance to study in other countries and return with all that knowledge, it would make the U.S. an even better country than it already is,” he said.
Students interested in studying abroad can learn more at the UH Learning Abroad website.
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