JULIE WHITE DISCOVERS NEW CULTURES IN TWO STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS WORDS Audra Shumaker I I PHOTOS Julie White Many students at Harding were able to experience a study abroad program but very few were able to say they had experienced two. SeniorJulie White had the opportunity to spend one semester at Harding University in Paris (HIP) in spring 2017, and another semester a Harding University in Florence (HUF) in summer 2017. Before deciding to study abroad, \Vhite deliberated on whether or not to study through the College of Business Administration (COBA) program in Europe, but decided against it. "I originally wanted to do tJ1e COBA London program through the business department and graduate early, but none of the classes would correlate with [doing thatJ." White said. "So I had to figure out a way to pull lout] the classes I needed together to graduate early." Dr. Allen Frazier, dean of the college of business, was hugely instrumental in helping White accomplish her goal. White arranged her independent studies with Frazier, and he gave her permission to do an internship with the international programs office while she was in HUF. For her internship, White kept a blog of her experiences, took photos and helped promote the program on social media. Audra Pleasant, international programs logistics administrator, was impressed by White's dedication. "Julie had to work really hard to make this happen for her," Pleasant said. "She had to do almost all independent studies to make it possible." White was humbled by the support she received, saying that was the only reason she could live out her dreams. "I worked ahead and tried to get all of my independent studies done as soon as possible so that I could work just on my internship and enjoy Italy," White said. "I felt so blessed by all of the things and people that worked together to give me the chance to study abroad twice." Junior Gracie Olderman also studied abroad with White at HUF. Olderman thought White was an excellent leader because of White's traveling background. "I think Julie was able to be a leader on the HUF trip because of her previous travel experiences," Olderman said. "She helped me plan independent travel, packing and simple abroad trips I would not have [been prepared for] without her." Olderman also commented on White's internship, mentioning that White worked hard to stay in touch with life in Searcy. "She was a significant bridge between the aboard campus and the Harding campus as well," Olderman said. "Julie was able to give the abroad program feedback directly from HUF" I Traveling is a passion of senior Julie White, and she is grateful for the privilege of studying abroad twice with International Programs. White's first trip was to Harding in Paris (HIP) in spring 2016 and her second trip was to Harding in Florence (HUF) in summer 2017. II Photos courtesy of Julie White
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