Hello everyone!

My name is Carli Cebulla and for my Beyond the Classroom experience, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain for the Spring 2023 semester. This experience has influenced my outlook on life and helped me grow into a much more understanding person of the world. Although my actual project was based in Barcelona, I was able to go on so many adventures throughout Europe and Africa, that affected me just as much. 

Growing up in a small farm town, and then moving to Missoula was like I entered a whole new world. I never could have imagined how much I would thrive in a city consisting of 2 million people, having only grown up in a town maybe consisting of 1,000 people on a good day. There was so much I had to learn the first month I was there, but luckily my roommates were from Spain and helped me out a lot my first couple weeks. Without them, I would have not had as great of an experience and put myself out there as much. 

There are so many wild adventures that I could put in here, but that would make this post into a whole book. However, my favorite memories of my time abroad mostly have to do with the insane nightlife scene, and all the new stores that I could shop in. It still has not sunk in that I am no longer there and probably will not be back for many years. But as for right now, I still feel like all my adventures were just last week. 

My time abroad really showcased how different lifestyles can be. It was a little bit of an adjustment that first week, but after that I learned to love the work to live mindset. This experience opened my eyes to a whole new side of people that I did not see when I first moved by myself several years ago. I created great friendships with people all over the world and learned even more about other countries because of that.

Throughout my time there, I had a couple visitors. Everyone that came mentioned how much happier everyone is over there within the first day or two of being there. And I have to agree. The way of life is much simpler, and even though Spain is less developed than the United States, everyone seems content and not overly stressed. It was refreshing to see a world that has more to life after college than just working.

Overall, my experience in Barcelona still feels like a fever dream. And I keep reliving all the little moments, which I hope to continue to do. I will never forget the impact this experience has had on my life and how I view the world!

My name is Collin Baker, and my Beyond the Classroom Experience took me to Atlanta, Georgia for a ten week long internship. As a Management Information Systems major in the College of Business, an internship relevant to information systems, which aligns perfectly with finding a BtC Experience related to my theme of Technology and Society.

I spent the summer as a Digital Assurance and Transparency Intern with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC (PwC). The position essentially boils down to IT audit. My client was a financial technology company that acts as an intermediary between financial institutions and advertisers to place ads into banking apps. Basically, if you bank through most major companies like Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, and others, the coupons you find in your bank’s app were placed there not by the bank, but my client. My job involved making sure that all of the controls the company had in place covering financial information and data security were operating the way they ought to, and that they properly protected and guaranteed the accuracy of all of the information the company handles. This meant gathering evidence, analyzing reports, and talking to people working for the client (data engineers, compliance managers, even the Chief Information Security Officer) to make sure I properly understood the systems they had in place and could confirm they were appropriate.

Doing this gave me an incredible understanding of the use of information systems in business to a degree that my major could never provide. The pervasiveness of technology in all aspects of life, including business, is well known, but few people truly understand how essential it is to the proper operation of a company. Even more critically, the extent of attention paid to controls and security measures is far more substantial than I thought. Everything is taken into account, to the point that what we considered “data security” controls included not only firewalls, VPNs, and password requirements, but organization charts, succession plans, and vendor contracts. The value this opportunity added to my understanding of the field I intend to work in, as well as my general understanding of technology as it’s used in business, can not be understated.

The summer wasn’t just about work, of course. I had a fantastic team to spend my time with, and each day, whether in the office, at the client site, or at a bar for happy hour, was fantastic. Throughout the summer, we did everything from minigolf to Beat the Bomb (basically a bunch of minigames with everything from memory challenges to dodging lasers) and it was a great way to get to know my associates, managers, and even firm partners (all on the company’s budget, of course).

This was a great experience, and I am excited to start my full-time position with the company after graduating in the fall.

Hi, my name is Kate and I am a junior at the University of Montana studying human biology and psychology. I am hoping to pursue a career in medicine and for my beyond-the-classroom experience, I participated in a 3 month medical and teaching internship in Nepal. Over my time in Nepal, I had the opportunity to shadow doctors and nurses in 3 different hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley as well as teach health and hygiene classes to students across 3 different schools. My internship was very self-led so most days I was the only intern/student that was observing in the hospital, although I often had between 4-7 housemates at any given time who were also doing separate projects. I became very familiar with using the chaotic public transportation in Kathmandu and each morning I would have breakfast, head to the hospital, and start my day doing rounds or observing appointments and procedures in the outpatient department.

I was lucky to be surrounded by Nepali nurses and doctors, so during slow times they would help me practice my Nepali language skills and they would tell me more about their lives outside of healthcare. Because of this, I was able to communicate more with locals and patients in their language which really made me feel connected more to the people and their culture. Moreover, I taught first aid, public health, and sexual/reproductive health classes to students ranging in age from 9-14 years old. Public and global health is my global theme for GLI so I really gained a broader perspective about healthcare in a developing country through my internship. Moreover, my teaching experience was greatly informed by the things I learned and observed in the hospitals. I was able to focus the curriculum on subjects like first aid and hygiene because I observed that many people had limited education on these topics and would end up in the emergency room because of it.

I am so grateful to have had this experience and I learned so much about medicine, culture, and education in a country so different from the United States. On top of it all, I was able to explore all around Nepal including trekking, seeing tigers and rhinos in the jungle, and visiting many cultural sites. It was an amazing experience and such a unique way to learn and immerse myself in a new culture!

  My Beyond the Classroom Experience took me to Cork, Ireland. I chose Cork largely based on the fact that I could take upper-division film courses that transfer to my BFA in Digital Filmmaking. The film program at the University College Cork is extremely different from the program at the University of Montana. The UCC program is a theory-based learning program while UMT is much more practical. Not only was I thrown into a different style of learning, but it almost felt like a different subject. At UMT, the program has us constantly producing artwork for our portfolios and engaging in hands-on learning. UCC on the other hand has us look deeper into the history and philosophy of film. While the programs are different in engagement in film, I found that learning from both schools benefited me and how I examined the subject

The classes at UCC had us dive into many experimental and bizarre styles of filmmaking. I was exposed to types of films that I would have never seen if I stayed in the States. I benefited from the fact that I stayed for a whole year so I could explore more thought-provoking films and theory articles. Irish Cinema does not often see a lot of global engagement because many of the filmmakers lean away from Hollywood’s crisp style and focus on avant-garde styles. Being exposed to such deep levels of thought and understanding of film as well as the shock of never seeing films of this nature completely rearranged my thought process. I tackle cinema completely differently and as my final semester in school begins, I can’t wait to combine both of my skillsets from UMT and UCC to propel me forward into new projects.

January 10th I began my journey to study abroad. My parents used to live in Athens so I had a little insight on what to expect. My grandparents are also from Holland so I was able to fly there first and adjust to the time change! As soon as I got there I realized I had 12 roommates. Wonderful people from all over the states. The school was in a smaller city called Agia Paraskevi. Greeks do things a little differently. Meal times can last up to 3 hours, and there is a period of time during the day called Siesta time where you go home from work to nap or relax. The food was amazing, I had a lot of gyros and octopus. I was luckily taking Modern Greek so I got to learn a bit of their language. During my time their I visited some of the Greek islands by ferry, such as Naxos, Hydra, Crete, Rhodes. And wishing the mainland I got to see Nafplio, and Delphi. I also got to visit other European countries including Italy (Naples/Rome), Hungary (Budapest), Austria (Vienna), Spain (Barcelona), Cyprus, and Holland (Amsterdam). Although I missed Missoula, this experience was life changing as I got to see so many cultures and meet so many people while hearing their stories. I think in my life, being exposed to so many different things is what makes me, me. By Spring break, my parents got to visit me and I got to show them my school and new friends. At the end of the semester my girlfriend, 2 best friends, and brother all came to visit me as well. I am extremely grateful for my time abroad and I highly recommend it to everyone. Sure there are big fears you need to overcome. Being alone in a new country can be daunting. I know it was for me. But I began to trust myself and my capabilities to see this experience as a growing one. I also met some lifelong friends along the way. Here are some pictures!

For my Beyond the Classroom Experience I spent a semester studying at the University of Chester in England. Going into this experience I was excited and nervous about experiencing culture shock. I figured that since there was no language barrier it wouldn’t feel very different from the United States, but I was wrong. Not only do English people use a lot of different phrases, but their systems and ways of living were unfamiliar. I took classes with English residents as well as joined extracuriculars affiliated with the school. The classes I took were basic gen-eds about the history and culture of England which helped me become more aware of our differences and similarities. It was difficult to meet friends in classes, so I joined the gardening club and football (soccer) team. These groups made me feel welcomed and and helped me build a life in Chester. 

My semester ended in late march, giving me two free months to travel. I spent this time visiting friends across Europe and doing some solo traveling as well. This part of my experience is where I learned the most. I felt myself quickly adjusting to new cultures, languages, transportation, and food. I mostly stayed in hostels where I was able to meet lots of other solo travelers who became close friends very quickly. I’m so excited to carry all of these new skills with me going forward!

During the Spring of 2023, I headed abroad for a semester in Cork, Ireland. I studied at University College Cork (UCC) and took many courses related to my Sociology and Political Science majors. The course that related to my beyond-the-classroom experience was Victim and Victimology, which as the title suggests, dove into the study of victims. I chose this course for my experience as I wanted to better understand the complexities of human trafficking and this class gave me a new perspective I and many others skip over: the victim of crimes. Just a few things we learned were the victim–offender overlap, the role of the victim in the criminal justice system, and the impact of victimization on individuals. We looked into many real cases that happened in and around Ireland which provided me with a more in-depth history of where I was living. The course highlighted the importance of examining both the offender and victim in human trafficking, and other crimes alike.

While my beyond-the-classroom experience was filled with learning, meeting new people, and so much more, I also truly enjoyed my overall experience abroad. I met some of the loveliest people from all over the United States and the world. These people are friends that I know will be a part of my life for a very long time. They were a part of the scariest, most exciting, and most wonderful time of my life. I was able to truly learn how to be independent and navigate a world I really knew nothing about. This was the first time I had gone to an entirely new country traveling all by myself. I not only made it to Ireland on my own, but figured out public transportation, an entirely new way of schooling, and all new aspects of day-to-day life. I left behind the only world I had known. Not to mention all my family and friends. I personally grew more than I could have ever imagined in the three months I lived in Ireland. I was able to see some beautiful towns, cities, people, and places that I will forever be grateful for.

I grew up in Missoula, MT, and have lived here all my life. I am fortunate to be from this town and will likely settle down here someday. However, studying abroad was one of the best choices I have ever made for myself. It pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and test how capable I am of doing things on my own. I am proud of what I did and how I handled myself. My time abroad provided a completely unfamiliar learning experience I could not have got any other way.

Hello! My name is Koson Verkler, and I am a forestry major entering my junior year at the University of Montana. In addition to my main course of study, I am also a student in the Franke Global Leadership Initiative, where my global theme is Resources and Sustainability. The Beyond the Classroom Experience that I took part in this May was held at the Moody Forest Preserve outside of the small town of Baxley, Georgia. During my 10-day trip, I was part of a group made up of several UM students and faculty that helped land managers from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) perform several large-scale prescribed burn operations. This experience was not only very valuable in terms of improving my education and professional skillset, but it also aligned perfectly with my global challenge of spreading awareness of the benefits of prescribed fire.

Throughout my time in Georgia, I learned about the major role that natural and prescribed fires play in southern forest ecosystems, not only for the benefit of natural resources but also for the habitats of wildlife. Species that have experienced a dramatic decrease in their population such as the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), and the red-cockaded woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis) all benefit greatly from a consistent fire return interval. When these keystone species suffer due to a lack of fire and resulting overstocking of the forest understory, the rest of the ecosystem begins to falter, but when these species thrive, their ecosystems do as well.

In addition to the educational benefits provided by this program, another goal is to get students and young firefighters more fire line leadership and operational experience. Due to our small crew size and the number of burns we performed, there were ample opportunities to focus on different aspects of prescribed fire, from acting as a squad boss and division, to lighting the fire with drip torches, and even working on an engine or ATV to ensure the fire stays within its designated perimeters. Besides the TNC land managers, we also worked with a crew of firefighters from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and students from the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College who were participating in a similar field experience program.

In all, our crew helped burn five separate units totaling roughly 575 acres of land across two TNC-managed parcels, the Moody Forest and Broxton Rocks preserves.

While all the burns were successful and a blast to be a part of, the two that stood out to me most were the 227-acre Unit 3 and the 29-acre Unit 10 North burns, both of which were held at the Moody Forest Preserve.

The Unit 3 burn is notable because it was the first time I had ever acted as a squad boss (someone who is in direct command of a group of firefighters on an incident). While I had four of my crew members working under me, we all worked together and executed our plans perfectly to complete our assigned tasks. Not only did I feel supported by both my squad and the burn boss, but I was proud that my first day “in charge” of a small group of personnel on a fire had gone smoothly.

The reasons that the Unit 10 North burn stands out to me are because of its complexity and excitement. Even though the unit was less than 30 acres, we were burning around the Moody Forest headquarters buildings (the buildings we were stationed in during the trip) which almost made it feel like we were fighting a real wildfire with structures threatened. In addition to this, several TNC Georgia board members and the Executive Director, Monica Thornton, were on site learning about the burn and prescribed fire in general. I was impressed to see the leader of Georgia’s branch of the TNC getting involved with the boots-on-the-ground side of land management and it made me happy that prescribed fire is being showcased to more decision-makers and executives in large organizations that have a very far-reaching influence. Burns like this one should be used to inform the public about the necessity of having fire in an ecosystem that relies on it and I was happy to be a part of one in a location that supports the practice as much as Georgia does.

By using many of the techniques that I learned in Georgia, I am looking forward to lending my skills on more successful prescribed burns here in Western Montana. As a UM student, I am extremely lucky to have access to the Lubrecht Experimental Forest outside of Greenough, where we try to burn 25 to 100 acres every semester. The one downside of burning at Lubrecht is that it’s often hidden from the public view. While having inexperienced people on every burn isn’t feasible or safe, I think that having one or two showcase burns every year could be helpful in changing minds and showing people what proper forest management looks like.

People focus on the dangers of fire and complain about the impacts of smoke, and while I understand these fears and grievances, the damage, danger, and inconvenience that large wildfires cause every year is much worse than the low-impact and well-managed prescribed burns that are used to save our incredible forest ecosystems. By focusing and investing in prescribed fire, we can change from a reactionary to a proactive management mindset, which will result in improvements for the environment, safer and healthier conditions in our forests, and less of a burden on the taxpayer and their wallet.

While I could go on and on about the benefits provided by prescribed burning, I would stray far off topic for this simple blog post. I hope you have enjoyed learning about my trip to Georgia, a little bit about how prescribed fire is implemented, and the steps we are taking to combat the destructive wildfires that have become a common sight across the Western United States during the summer months.

Thank you for reading and see you out on the line!

Koson Verkler, UM Franke GLI Student & Fire Club President

My name is Ashley Wilson, and I recently completed a year-long study abroad experience in Concepción, Chile at the Universidad de Concepción. I am currently studying Art, Spanish, and Elementary Education; and while in Concepción, I mainly focused on finalizing my Bachelor of Arts degree along with fine-tuning my Spanish speaking skills.

As someone who was born and raised in a town with a population of a mere 200 people, and then experienced life in Missoula, Montana, I believe that it is safe to say that the initial adjustment to life in a larger city was challenging. Soon after my arrival, I knew that I had taken my previous accessibility to the natural world for granted. Fortunately, it was not long before I began discovering the abundance of nature parks, quaint beach towns, and breathtaking scenery that was only about a 30-minute bus ride away from Concepción’s city center. My desire to learn and experience more of the natural world in central Chile pushed me out of my comfort zone; I had to make connections, be sociable, and ask questions, things that often intimate me, given my shy personality. Ultimately, however, this contributed majorly to my growth as an individual and my self-esteem.

Naturally, as a creative person, I began to feel inspired to create art that represented the beautiful nature and the reality that I was experiencing at the time. Although some of the art classes that I took in Concepción were challenging due to language barriers and inevitable misunderstandings, I felt as if I had finally stepped into my own as an artist while abroad. After all, I was constantly exposed to new elements, opportunities, and ways of thinking. I also had to learn how to improvise, manage my time more effectively, and trust in myself and my capabilities while in such an unfamiliar environment.

This experience ultimately humbled me and made me realize just how vast and abundant the world truly is. I did not realize I was living in such a sheltered bubble until I studied abroad. Although I still have much more to learn and give, I now have a clearer vision of how I want to lead, teach and show up for myself and those around me in the future.