Fordham rose to number 32 for study abroad among U.S. doctoral-level institutions, according to this year’s Open Doors report on undergraduate study abroad participation. Approximately 40% of Fordham undergraduate students participate in a study abroad program.

For Joseph Rienti, director of the university’s international and study abroad programs, it’s exciting to see the participation rate begin to recover after the pandemic. Before international travel paused, around 50% of Fordham undergraduates took part in a study abroad experience. 

Global diversity is a longstanding value in Jesuit education, Rienti said, and study abroad programs help fulfill the University’s mission. 

“Study abroad broadens student perspectives and deepens their knowledge. We do that in our classrooms in New York, but there’s no better way to do that than to leave your comfort zone and learn from professors and students in another country,” Rienti said. 

A Study Abroad Option for Every Student

The wide variety of study abroad programs available to Fordham students makes it easier to participate, Rienti said. 

Fordham has major study abroad outposts in London, U.K., and Granada, Spain, and offers access to study abroad programs in over 50 countries on six continents. In the 2024-25 academic year, over 1,000 undergraduate students are studying abroad in 30 different countries.

Students can choose immersive “direct enroll” programs, where they learn alongside locals at esteemed universities across the globe, or “island programs” with classes designed to cater to American study abroad students. The university also offers short-term study abroad opportunities, typically ranging from one to four weeks, and special focus programs that integrate a central theme or academic topic, such as the 14-week theater intensive at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts, or the CNN Academy journalism intensive at University College Dublin. 

Now that federal, state, and University financial aid dollars can be applied to study abroad expenses, participation is more accessible than ever for students of all backgrounds. Students who qualify for financial aid such as a Pell grant, student loan, or tuition remission can use that aid to fund a study abroad experience. For those who do not receive financial aid, there are study abroad-specific scholarships available. 

The Open Doors Report includes data from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and the Institute of International Education.

The Critical Language Scholarship Program, run by the U.S. Department of State, provides intensive summer language and cultural exchange programs across the world. Chisti is one of 17 Fordham students who have been awarded the scholarship since the program began in 2006. 

An Aspiring Foreign Service Officer

Chisti will study Arabic, one of the most spoken languages in the world—and a language that is important to her Muslim faith. Chisti grew up reading the Muslim holy book, the Quran, which is written in Arabic. She also studied classic Arabic throughout high school.

From June to August, Chisti will learn intermediate Arabic in Morocco. When she returns home, she plans to pursue her goal of becoming a foreign service officer, focused on the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. She’s also considering law school. 

“It’s important to understand conflicts in the MENA area and why this area is crucial, especially since it’s a source of global economic energy resources,” Chisti said. 

A Global Education at Fordham

Chisti is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants. She was raised by her father, a taxi driver, and her mother, who reared Chisti and her three siblings in Brooklyn. Chisti enrolled at Fordham as a member of the University’s Higher Education Opportunity Program. This May, she became the second member of her family to earn a college degree. (Last year, her older sister graduated from Columbia University.)

In her studies at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, including the selective Matteo Ricci Seminar, she learned about different world views. “In my humanitarian studies program, we didn’t just talk about what’s done right by the U.S. We talked about every aspect, the things we need to fix, and that we can fix them,” Chisti said. 

Outside of the classroom, Chisti tutored and taught students at Goddard Riverside, New Visions for Public Schools, and Harlem Children’s Zone. On Global Outreach projects to Colombia and Mexico, she met with community partners and examined immigrant issues. This year, she interned with the International Rescue Committee, where she taught English to adult ESL students and helped immigrants to pursue their career and education goals. At Fordham, she also served as president of the Muslim Students Association at Lincoln Center. 

“Fordham has given me a lot of opportunities,” Chisti said. “It gave me a stool, and I took the jump to get where I needed to be.” 

In addition to Chisti, three other students and alumni were awarded a Critical Language Scholarship or named an alternate during the 2022-2023 academic school year:

• Caitlin Leib, FCLC ’23, a French studies graduate from Connecticut, is in the Beginner Russian Spark program.
• Alexander Meyer, GSAS ’24, an international political economy and development major from Arizona, is an alternate for Beginner Portuguese.
• Alexandra Tamsi, FCRH ’24, an international studies major from Connecticut, is an alternate for Intermediate Russian.

 

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program supports undergraduates with a strong academic record and community impact who have been historically underrepresented in study abroad programs. Nearly half of all Gilman Scholars are first-generation college students; about 70% identify as racial or ethnic minority students. The Gilman Scholarship is a key program of the U.S. Department of State, intended to increase the diversity, equity, and inclusion of U.S. foreign policy.

Thirty-two Fordham students have been awarded the scholarship over the past decade, with this year being the highest number yet.

Combating ‘Japanglish’

Among this year’s Gilman Scholars is Karen Watanabe, a rising senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, who earned a scholarship this January and is studying at Sophia University in Tokyo from March to August. 

“I wanted to rekindle my relationship with my culture,” said Watanabe, a Japanese American who grew up in Sunnyside, Queens. “Over the years, my Japanese has become more like Japanglish. I took more Japanese classes at Fordham and realized that my Japanese has improved, but it can become even better.”

Watanabe, a political science major and peace and justice studies minor, has taken courses in Japan that are difficult to find back home, including Japanese government and politics and modern Japanese history. “As a political science major, I think it’s important to learn about different systems of government,” said Watanabe, who aspires to be a diplomat or translator. 

While living in a dorm in Tokyo, she has visited the biggest shrine in the city, participated in popular festivals like Kanda Matsuri, and spent time with her family members who live in Japan.  

Watanabe—a first-generation college student and member of the Higher Education Opportunity Program at Fordham—said she is thankful to Fordham for helping her achieve a dream she’s had since high school: to study abroad. 

An ‘Amazing Opportunity’

Devin Moreno, an incoming junior at the Gabelli School of Business, will study at Fordham London next spring. Moreno, an applied accounting and finance double major, said Fordham’s London campus had all the classes he wanted to take—and a bonus backdrop. 

“It’s an amazing opportunity, especially for lower-income students. …  [T]he Gilman Scholarship makes it a little less expensive and attainable for me and my mom,” said Moreno, the son of a single mother in the Bronx who wants to someday start his own accounting firm, primarily to help low-income families with their finances. “I’m so thankful that I’m at a school where I can study while traveling around the world.” 

In addition to the Gilman scholarship, there are new changes in study abroad financing at Fordham, expanding access to study abroad. 

Watanabe and Moreno are joined by five other Fordham students in receiving a Gilman Scholarship during the 2022-2023 academic school year:

• Rumsha Aqil, FCRH ’25, an economics major from New Jersey, will study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom in Spring 2024.
• Jillian Klostermann, FCRH ’25, an international studies major from Massachusetts, will study at Freie Universitat in Berlin, Germany, in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
• Emily Lai, FCLC ’23, a political science major from New York, is studying at Fordham London in Spring 2023.
• Sabrin Sultana, FCLC ’24, an economics major from New York, will study at the American University in Dubai in Fall 2023. 
• Hannah Yang, GABELLI ’25, an applied accounting and finance major from New York, will study at Fordham London in Spring 2024. 

 

“Our students are curious and service-oriented, and at Fordham, they think deeply about justice and their place in the world,” said Lorna Ronald, Ph.D., director of Fordham’s Office of Prestigious Fellowships, adding that Fordham students are awarded Fulbrights every year. “We are excited to see our 10 Fulbright students continue to grow into global leaders through this transformative experience.”

From Long Island to Côte d’Ivoire

Schneider, a senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center who earned his bachelor’s degrees in international studies and French and Francophone studies last February, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Côte d’Ivoire. Schneider grew up in a predominantly white community on Long Island and said he’s enjoyed getting to know people from different backgrounds at Fordham. In his junior year, he took a Center for Community Engaged Learning course that sparked his interest in French-speaking countries in Africa. 

“Through the Francophone Communities in New York City class, taught by professor Isaie Dougnon who is from Mali and was a Fulbright Scholar, I explored different West African immigrant neighborhoods, including those with people from Côte d’Ivoire. That’s where I learned about and became interested in Francophone Africa,” Schneider said. “After reading books in multiple French classes about Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire, I also learned that it’s a really cool cultural center.” 

Throughout his four years at Fordham, Schneider also worked with children and teenagers at the nearby Lincoln Square Community Center, where he tutored students in English and mathematics through a work-study position with the America Reads and Counts Challenge program. He currently serves as a program director at the center.  

This fall, he will work at a school or neighborhood center in Côte d’Ivoire, where he will teach English for nine months. 

“I’m looking forward to teaching, exploring a different culture, and engaging with a demographic of people who aren’t like me but share common interests,” said Schneider, who plans to eventually attend graduate school and become a U.S. diplomat working with West African nations.

An Ohio Native with Teaching Experience in Kenya and Granada

Thurston, a senior in Fordham College at Rose Hill’s honors program who will be graduating this May with her bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature and minors in chemistry and biological sciences, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Spain. 

Thurston was born and raised in Ohio. During high school and college, she taught English to elementary school students in Kenya, immigrants in Granada, and Fordham undergraduates at home. “It’s wonderful to see the progress that I’m able to make with all of my students and to feel like I’m making a difference in their lives,” Thurston said. 

While studying abroad in Granada as a Fordham student, she fell in love with Spain, its language, and the country’s “laid-back and community-oriented culture.” Through Fulbright, she found the perfect opportunity to return. 

During the upcoming school year, she will teach English to elementary school students in the Canary Islands in Spain, where she will also practice her Spanish. After she completes her Fulbright, she plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a bilingual obstetrician and gynecologist who works in Spanish-speaking communities. 

“It’s one of the more interesting fields of medicine and generally a positive one. It’s also a field where the margins of care between white people and people of color, especially Black and Spanish-speaking patients, is really large, and I want to help to close that gap,” Thurston said. 

In addition to Schneider and Thurston, eight other students and alumni were awarded Fulbrights: 

• Briana Boland, FCLC ’19, who is originally from Colorado and earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies, was awarded the Taiwan National Chengchi University Award in Asia-Pacific Studies. 
• Molly Gleason, FCRH ’21, who is originally from Rhode Island and earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Indonesia. 
• Rachel Irish, FCRH ’22, who is originally from New York and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to South Korea.
• Megan Johnson, FCLC ’20, GSE ’21, who is originally from California and earned her bachelor’s degrees in humanitarian studies and Spanish studies and her master’s degree in bilingual childhood education, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Ecuador. 
• Anastasia McGrath, FCRH ’21, who is originally from New York and earned her bachelor’s degrees in international political economy and Chinese studies, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Taiwan. 
• Grace Powers, FCRH ’23, who is originally from Kentucky and will be graduating with degrees in sociology and history, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Estonia. 
• Madalyn Stewart, FCLC ’22, who is originally from Oregon and earned her bachelor’s degrees in political science and French and Francophone studies, was awarded a study/research award to France. 
• Miguel Sutedjo, FCRH ’23, who is originally from New Jersey and will graduate with his bachelor’s degrees in international political economy and music, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Taiwan. 

 

Four students and alumni were also named Fulbright alternates:

• Dené Chung, FCLC ’21, who is originally from New Jersey and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, was named an alternate for an English teaching assistantship to South Korea. (*Chung was selected for a Fulbright scholarship and is currently teaching English in South Korea.)
• Jillian Elba, FCRH ’23, who is originally from Massachusetts and will be graduating with her bachelor’s degrees in sociology and English, was named an alternate for an English teaching assistantship to Thailand. 
• Emma Jane Konkoly, FCLC ’23, who is originally from Massachusetts and will be graduating with her bachelor’s degree in international studies, was named an alternate for an English teaching assistantship to Estonia. 
• Alyssa Peralta, FCLC ’23, who is originally from Illinois and will be graduating with her bachelor’s degree in economics, was named an alternate for an English teaching assistantship to Mexico.

 

“The goal was actually to start using Spanish and nail it down—I learned it, but I never had the chance to use it and get better, so that was a major thing,” she said. “And then also, Granada, was the kind of place that I was looking for, with all the history and a very different culture.”

Tesoriero, who just completed her fall semester in the program, chose to also participate in a homestay in Granada, where she lived with a Spanish family and “really immersed myself in a different culture.”

Tesoriero is part of a growing number of students who are choosing to participate in the Granada program, which is expecting its largest ever cohort of students, at least 44, in spring 2023, according to Joseph Rienti, director of the Office of Study Abroad.

But it’s not just the Granada program that’s seeing a growing interest from students, Rienti said. New changes in how study abroad is paid for are helping students access even more programs in different locations. And study abroad participation is returning to pre-COVID-19 numbers, according to Rienti, with about half of the undergraduate population choosing to study in one of 100+ programs across six continents.

“It’s a very significant development for Fordham that we can now offer 100+ programs for fall or spring semester at Fordham tuition,” he said. “[Students] can now use Fordham funding for the programs, so the vast majority can fully apply their financial aid packages.”

Previously only about 25 programs were able to accept Fordham tuition rates and financial aid packages, Rienti said. He said the expansion helps offer a “more equitable approach to study abroad.”

“It’s really refreshing to be able to have a conversation with a student and have the whole world being open to them,” he said.

Studying in Granada

Fordham in Granada is one of two Fordham-run study abroad programs, the other being Fordham London. Granada differs from the London program in that students are not at a Fordham campus. Rather, they take courses through the University of Granada and through a new partner, Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA). However, the University still has more input than a traditional study abroad exchange program, Rienti said. For example, departments such as the history department, are working closely with their partners in Granada to develop “very Fordham-specific type courses” that the students can take while abroad.

The Granada program was recently restructured and enhanced, thanks to Fordham’s new partnership with the Cultural Experiences Abroad organization, which runs study abroad programs across the world. The University began working with CEA during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide virtual options from across the world to students, and the new partnership in Granada allows them to add even more offerings for Fordham students, both in and out of the classroom, he said.

“Through that collaboration, we can now offer the opportunity to do more internships in many more fields,” he said. “We’ve expanded housing options—students used to all have to live in homestays, but we’ve now expanded to include student residences, so students are living with international and Spanish students in Granada. And we’ve expanded the course options.”

Finley Peay, Fordham’s assistant director for London and Granada programs, said that many of the additional offerings have been in the STEM fields, particularly public health, as well as additional historical and cultural options.

“There is a public health and ecology course, as well as some culturally-oriented courses, so thinking about the history of Spain and the history of art in Spain, as well as key types of dance and music that are important for Spanish culture,” she said.

Tesoriero’s favorite course was a media studies and current events class, which she said she’s recommending to her classmates studying in Granada next semester.

“Everything we learned about in the class—from how the family is structured and family works in Spain to the political system—everything that we’ve learned in class I’ve been able to see out on the streets, which is really cool,” she said. “We had a whole unit talking about holidays in Spain and the different Christmas traditions, so it’s cool getting to see that now.”

The collaboration with CEA also expands the out-of-the-classroom experiences for students, such as weekend trips to Morocco or other parts of Spain.

“There’s a wide variety of cultural experiences and benefits, not only Granada, but Seville and visits to less-known, compelling places” Peay said. “We find students are very excited by that.”

Tesoriero said she thought “all of the trips that CEA put on were fantastic.”

“I think my favorite was Morocco, because it was so different. I had never been anywhere like that before.”

She also said that while student housing was now available to Fordham students, she’s glad she chose to live with a family.

“In Granada, my favorite thing is to sit in the plaza near my homestay and just watch people,” she said. “Living with my host family, I feel really lucky. I really wanted that immersive experience and I definitely have that local connection.”

Broadening their Horizon

In addition to the growth of the Granada program, Rienti and Peay said that they’ve begun to see students looking for opportunities outside of the historically popular programs in Western Europe and parts of Asia.

Grace Dailey, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill majoring in environmental studies and communications, was one of those students; she spent the fall semester in New Zealand, which she said has fascinated her.

“It’s just such a naturally beautiful place and I’m an outdoorsy type of person, and they really have it all,” she said. “I thought, ‘what a good place to explore.’”

Dailey said that while she took mostly communications courses in New Zealand, such as photography and advertising, her favorite course was a sustainability course.

“I loved taking that while I was abroad, and it was such an exciting and very hands-on type [of course],” she said, adding that the professor was also an “outdoorsy person” who helped connect what they were learning to the natural environment.

Rienti said that he’s excited for the study abroad office to shift from the “emergency response” of the pandemic years into continuing to rebuild and grow the offerings for students.

One of the ways they’re encouraging more students to study abroad is shifting the application cycle, so students interested in studying abroad in fall 2023 or spring 2024 have to apply by March 1. This allows Rienti and his team to avoid turning students away because a program was full. For example, if the spring program has too many students, a student can then be shifted to the fall. He said that he hopes this change, combined with the financial aid shift and the expansion of offerings, will help more students study abroad.

“I encourage students to think about study abroad as a bridge to something,” he said. “What can this be a bridge to—internships, work abroad, scholarships—what could this lead to beyond being an end in itself?”

“We are so delighted to have a new president with such deep and interesting connections within the U.K. and a commitment to continue to develop Fordham’s international impact,” said Fordham London’s senior director, Vanessa Beever, LAW ’94, a University alumna herself. “It’s fantastic to have a fellow female lawyer, mother, and dog owner as our president.” 

Fordham London opened in 2018. After nearly a decade of borrowing a building from another institution in London, the University signed a long-term lease for a space in the center of the city that it could call its own. The 17,000-square-foot facility has six floors that comprise a lounge, small library, classrooms, and a rooftop terrace that overlooks the trendy Clerkenwell neighborhood. Students from New York can swipe into the London campus with their original ID card. Inside the building, they take business and liberal arts courses that have taken them across the city—to British art museums, theaters, and even fashion shows. 

At a presidential alumni reception that also included current students and several Fordham board members and administrators, Tetlow said she’s been hard at work building on the many advantages Fordham offers its students—both in New York and in London.

“In this work of leading Fordham, I get to build on incredible strengths, on our location in the other capital of the world, in New York, and on the chance we have—with our amazing strengths in the humanities, in law, in business, and so much of what we do—to matter to the world, to model for our students what that looks like, to give them opportunities that come from being in New York and also in London,” she said. “To show them the kinds of jobs they can get, the kind of impact they can have on the world, and how they can stretch their imagination about what that looks like.”

Tetlow’s Longtime Ties to London 

Tetlow herself is no stranger to London and the United Kingdom. She is a longtime member of the British-American Project, an organization that promotes cross-cultural understanding among young leaders. Through this group, she made many friends in London and met her husband, Gordon Stewart, who is originally from the United Kingdom. She has a daughter who has American/British dual citizenship; a stepson who lives in Scotland; and a home in Fife, Scotland, with Stewart. 

When she first began visiting the United Kingdom, she was surprised by the similarities and nuanced differences between American and British culture, she said. Now, the country—and Fordham’s London campus—feel like home. 

“I am proudly bilingual. I drink a cuppa. I take out the rubbish. I feel chuffed from all this praise,” she said at the presidential alumni reception. “And I can, if I’ve had a couple of pints, even understand Geordie. That’s how local I feel.”

Connecting with the Catholic Church Abroad

Tetlow’s first trip to London as president of Fordham began with a visit to Westminster Abbey, a historic church that has witnessed coronations and burials for generations of British rulers. As the sun set below the London skyline, Tetlow sat in the same space where recently deceased monarch Queen Elizabeth II had once walked, and observed an evensong performance with colleagues from New York. 

On Oct. 25, her first full day in London, she attended a morning Mass at Farm Street Church, which has served as the Jesuits’ flagship church in London for nearly two centuries. She was introduced to Michael Holman, S.J., a prior Jesuit provincial of the United Kingdom, who gave her a tour of the sacred space and taught her about the history of London’s Jesuits. (Father Holman has a connection to Fordham, too. In 1989, he earned his master’s in education and administration from the Graduate School of Education and lived at the Rose Hill campus with the Jesuits for several years.) 

Meeting Fordham London’s Staff

In the afternoon, Tetlow visited Fordham’s London campus for the first time. Following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., who last visited Fordham London in 2021, she toured the facilities and met its staff.  

Seated at a table with staff, Tetlow inquired about Fordham London. What are the academic programs and curriculum like? Where do the students live? And what are the students themselves like?  

Every year, there are about 500 students at Fordham London, she learned, most of whom are upperclassmen from the Gabelli of Business and liberal arts students. The majority are Americans from Fordham’s New York campuses, and they tend to come to Fordham London for a single semester. Students from other American universities studying abroad can also study at Fordham London. Through connections with study abroad housing partners, students are able to live in local apartments that offer a glimpse of post-graduate living. They commute to campus by taking the Tube, riding a red double-decker bus, or simply using their own two feet. 

Through partnerships with local universities, students are able to take one or two courses outside the campus, at the City University of London and other schools. But the bulk of their education takes place at Fordham. Through their faculty and coursework, liberal arts students have been able to perform in the iconic Tower of London and view versions of Shakespeare’s plays that appeal to a modern audience. Through school-sponsored trips, students from all disciplines travel across the United Kingdom to famous sites like Stonehenge. (They also use their free time to explore the whole European continent, including Paris, which is no more than three hours away by train.) And just outside the Fordham London campus is Leather Lane, a bustling food market that stretches across several streets and boasts a wide selection of cuisines, from Persian kebabs to Japanese hibachi to Yorkshire burritos—pudding wraps with sage stuffing, spinach, roast potatoes, and gravy.  

Armando Nuñez Jr., chair-elect of Fordham’s Board of Trustees, attended the meeting with Tetlow and Fordham London staff. 

“It’s so wonderful to be here in person with our new president and to be engaged in this conversation,” said Nuñez. “The University has a great opportunity here to expand its global footprint in a smart and strategic way.” 

After the meeting, Tetlow hosted a reception for the British-American Project at Fordham London. The next day, she welcomed more than 100 members of the Fordham family at the presidential alumni reception held in the Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe. And in private meetings paired with food and wine throughout her trip, she became acquainted with alumni who now call London home. 

William J. Loschert, GABELLI ’61, is a trustee fellow who grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in London.

“Fordham London is a great hub for students,” Loschert said. “London has a lot more traditional history than New York. We also have a different form of government, which right now is kind of a mess with three prime ministers in two months, but it’s a different culture, and I think it’s good that students can get out of New York and America and see how the rest of the world lives.”

On Thursday—Tetlow’s final day in London—she met with the Fordham London Advisory Board and other senior members of the University’s administration to brainstorm ways to improve the study abroad experience for students; she also met Fordham London’s new head of experiential learning. At an evening reception held on campus, she was introduced to Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain. 

A Luncheon with the ‘Future Generation of Fordham Leaders’

Finally, she ate lunch with visiting Gabelli School of Business students in Fordham London’s ground floor lounge. The students, who study in the Professional MBA Program, had flown to London as part of their course called The Tale of Two (Global) Cities. For one week, they studied the differences between American and British businesses through lectures, walking tours, and site visits at places like Goldman Sachs, Mercer, and TrueLayer. 

In attendance at the luncheon was Andrea Mennillo, Ph.D., chair of Fordham London’s Advisory Board, who thanked the business students for coming to the London campus. 

“At this table are my fellow members of the board,” he said, gesturing to his colleagues in the room. “We are available to help—to advise, to consult—because you are the future generation of Fordham leaders.” 

The students introduced themselves to Tetlow and the senior members of Fordham’s administration. Most of the students are in their final year in the MBA program and already hold jobs at prestigious companies, including Warner Bros, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and JPMorgan Chase. They work in a variety of industries, including advertising, fashion, law, cybersecurity, health care, media, investment relations, and private equity.

Tetlow told the students she was glad their business education at Fordham could include this international perspective. 

“This is an amazing city, and I bet a lot of you have gotten a taste of it and want to come back,” Tetlow said to the students. “So I’m glad, especially to those of you who are here just for a week, that you’re digging in, really listening hard, asking good questions, and learning in ways that will change your thinking forever.” 

“It was nerve-wracking to move to another country that was eight hours away and not know anyone,” said Miller, who studied in London in 2018 and now works as a senior researcher at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a policy think tank. “It was a challenge, but a rewarding one.” 

Miller was born in Maryland and raised in New Jersey. She first attended Syracuse University, but later transferred to Fordham College at Rose Hill when she realized the latter was a better fit. She said she was drawn to the Rose Hill campus, which resembled the classic ivy-covered colleges she had seen growing up. The campus was also in New York City—her favorite city at the time. That initial attraction grew deeper when she visited her cousin Gabrielle Mascio, GABELLI ’18, at Rose Hill.

“When I was a senior in high school, she was the coolest thing: a college freshman. I visited her on campus and got to really experience Fordham,” said Miller. “Initially, I didn’t consider it because I wanted to be far away from home, and Fordham wasn’t within the radius that I had in mind. But I think you end up where you’re meant to be.”

Miller once wanted to become the first woman president of the United States. She tested that ambition in high school, where she served as student council president. But as she grew older, she realized she was less interested in the world of politics and more interested in shaping policies. 

“The part of me that wanted to be president wanted to do something like that because I wanted to feel like I was making a difference. But you can still do that with writing. You can sit down, think about big issues, and work out solutions for the government or private companies,” said Miller, who is getting a taste of that at the Tony Blair Institute, where staffers write about politics in the U.K. and develop recommendations for British policymakers. 

Developing a New Perspective at Fordham London

Part of what prepared her for her job was her last semester at Fordham, which she spent at the University’s London campus. She lived in a first-floor flat in Maida Vale, a neighborhood in north London that reminded her of the brownstone neighborhoods in Manhattan. On a typical school day, she would ride the bus from her apartment to Fordham London—a six-story building that opened in 2018 and features modern classrooms, a spacious student lounge, and a rooftop terrace. Several days a week, she commuted to her marketing internship at the Aid & International Development Forum, an organization that spreads awareness about key humanitarian issues. After class, she frequented London bars and restaurants with her new friends. Like many of her classmates, she also traveled to other parts of Europe on weekends, including France, Sweden, and Scotland, where she found a world beyond her home in New Jersey. 

“My study abroad experience in London showed me that the world is so much bigger than my life at home in New Jersey and in the U.S.,” said Miller, who also studied abroad in Granada, Spain, for one semester. “New York is a multicultural city, and you see just as many types of people in London as you do in New York. But being in a different country, meeting people who have never been to the U.S., and learning about politics outside of the U.S. has really opened my eyes to different perspectives and ways of thinking.” 

Navigating A New Job Abroad During the Pandemic

Miller loved her life in London so much that after she graduated with her degree in communication and media studies from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 2019, she headed back across the pond to the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she earned her master’s degree in international social and public policy. A few months later, she began her first full-time job at the Tony Blair Institute. 

She started working during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but said she made the most out of an unusual situation. 

“Our team published a lot of papers about mass testing and being prepared for the vaccine rollout. I think the government actually took into account a lot of our policy recommendations, so that was really exciting,” said Miller, who was promoted to senior researcher at TBI after a year and a half of employment. “I love being part of an organization whose mission is to make positive change. You may not be the person authoring a paper or speaking to the media about it, but all our work is going toward a common goal: providing policy solutions to governments in challenging times.”

‘Oh My Gosh, You’re British Now!’

It’s been four years since Miller first studied abroad in London, and she says life looks different in the U.K. 

“Now when I go home, it’s not the same,” she said. “Cars are on a different side of the road. The culture between the U.S. and the U.K. is also different. No Thanksgiving in London, but there’s a Sunday roast and different holidays like Guy Fawkes Day in November.”

If Miller lives in London for two and a half more years, she can become a permanent resident. At this rate, she says, it seems like that will become a reality. Even her family says that her accent is starting to sound like a native Londoner’s. 

“I don’t see it, but my family makes fun of me. Sometimes I’ll say bins instead of garbage, and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re British now!’” she said, laughing.

After hosting faculty, staff, and alumni at a reception at the Carlton Club near St. James’s Palace on the evening of Oct. 26, Father McShane headed to the London campus the following day for a casual visit with students. There, he updated students on developments back home, such as the hugely successful President’s Ball, which he noted was safely held in September for more than 3,400 under tents on Edwards Parade.

Father McShane said that things like the ball and the return to overseas study are possible thanks to widespread vaccinations, and noted that Pope Francis has called getting a vaccine a “moral responsibility” that one does for others, not just for oneself.

“It’s an act of charity,” he said, adding that the students’ attendance in London made them pioneers in the return to normalcy. The spring semester looks very promising as well, he said, with more than 300 students registered.

He then told the students at the lunch gathering that just as New York is their campus back home, they should make London and the U.K. their campus while abroad.

“Think outside of the Bronx,” he said. “I want you to do London. It’s one of the great cities. New York and London are cities that understand each other. So, you should feel at home here. Dig in and see the place.”

In addition to encouraging the students to see the more than 50 churches designed by architect Christopher Wren, he also suggested visiting Oxford and Cambridge universities. While Oxford is more bustling, he said students may find Cambridge to be more familiar as it features the “Wedding Cake” tower of St. John’s College, on which the cupola of the Rose Hill campus’ University Church is modeled.

“You’ll find yourself there and say, “Oh my God, they copied it. No, we copied it,” he said to laughs.

And when they’re back in London, he said, they can use his tip to see St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abby without paying the tourist entrance fees.

“If you want to go and not pay, go to the Evensong performance,” he said.

“You just go up and say you’re there for the performance and [the security guards]fall back and let you in. I mean I took a vow of poverty; I have to watch every penny.”

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Joseph Rienti, Ph.D., director of the International and Study Abroad Programs, said his office works with Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA), a firm that helps universities place students in academic programs and internships. For the internships, CEA employs an “individual placement model,” where students hold an in-depth conversation with a CEA placement agent to discuss their past experience and career objectives.

“We make sure that the student’s expectations are not a fixed idea,” said Rienti. “We want them stay open, because that’s what their career landscapes will look like.”

He said that even though the program is barely two months old, most of the interns have already expanded their professional networks.

‘Game’ for Global Networking—on Amsterdam Time

For Fordham College at Lincoln Center senior Samantha Hughes, the internship provided a respite from the isolation of quarantine. Hughes, who is majoring in digital technology and emerging media, landed an internship with an Amsterdam-based gaming company called Team Building Game Franchise.

“I’ve only traveled out of the country when I was much younger and I wasn’t thinking about going abroad for school,” she said. “I had no knowledge of Amsterdam or the Netherlands, just the beautiful canals. I was feeling so isolated and I wasn’t expecting to have an opportunity meet many new people this semester, much less meeting gamers in Amsterdam.”

Hughes said she has taken game theory and game design classes at Fordham. However, the firm challenges her to use her networking skills within the industry. She was tasked with finding gaming companies in the U.S. whose interests aligned with those of the Dutch firm. From there, she worked with the firm’s designers to create an email campaign to establish contacts and build partnerships with U.S. companies.

“At other internships I was handed a few projects and I was expected to do the work, hand it in, and that was it. With this I had so much control and freedom. My suggestions were always invited, used, and brought to the design team—and even higher. It made me go above and beyond what they asked for.”

She said another big distinction of working for a European company may seem obvious, but the implication may not be: the time difference.

“When I was doing work, it was midnight my supervisor’s time, if I ran into problems I had to come up with solutions on my own. I was overflowing with ideas,” she said.

She developed a workflow that included a daily email listing accomplished tasks, queries, and new ideas.

“It was a hybrid of emails, texts, and Zoom meetings,” she said.

Unforeseen Benefits

Rienti said Hughes is a perfect example of the opportunities created by the program that may well outlast the crisis.

“The program grew out of our commitment to continue to find ways for students to engage with different cultures,” said Rienti. “What we didn’t expect was an interest from students who would have never considered studying or taking internships abroad.”

The internships have also given students a taste of remote work, he said, at a time when many companies are planning to keep aspects of the virtual experience in place after the pandemic.

Going Green with the UN

Dulles Hanula is a senior majoring in macroeconomics and political science at Fordham College at Rose Hill. He concurred with Hughes that the relative freedom of having a boss overseas actually put the onus on the students to be motivated.

“I’ve always been a self-starter, but for me this experience took that to an extreme,” said Hanula. “If you don’t create a schedule or if you’re not organized, you’re gonna fall behind.”

Hanula found an internship with a Barcelona-based firm that seeks to actualize the United Nations’ goals for green infrastructure at a neighborhood scale in the bustling Spanish city.

While he had held an internship last year in Australia through the overseas program, he was not planning on doing one this semester.

“You start off with these linear plans, but after an internship abroad you realize maybe there’s something more than finalizing everything you do in your life here in the U.S.,” he said. “I received the email and thought, ‘That’s ideal, I can still get international work experience and go to school at Fordham to finish my senior year.’”

Hanula was tasked with preparing grant materials in English that could help the firm. The new materials would help leadership at the firm expand the scope of their grant pool and help with pitches to an English-speaking donor base. He said he met with his boss twice a week, usually at 8:30 a.m. EST.

“Another thing that impressed me is how they were passionate about the mission; we’d have meetings two or three in the afternoon my time. I mean, who meets on Zoom with their intern at 8 p.m. with your children running around?”

Both students said they plan to visit their respective internship cities once the pandemic is over.

“It was kind of a bummer not to have amazing Spanish tapas,” said Hanula. “But they taught me a lot about the city, how people interact, and places in the city that I should visit. Once COVID is over, I’m going.”

Dear Members of the Fordham Community,

I hope this email finds you well and safe, and enjoying as much of a summer break as possible. I am writing to let you know that Fordham has made the difficult decision of suspending all study abroad programs through the end of the fall 2020 semester, in the interest of the health and safety of our students.

For the past few months, we have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 conditions, in the 22 countries where Fordham students had planned to study abroad this fall, and studying the ongoing challenges of international travel as a result of the global pandemic. While Fordham has been working diligently to create a multi-faceted plan for social distancing, sanitation, testing, contact tracing, and isolation protocols on each of our New York campuses, it has become increasingly clear that we cannot provide this critical level of precautionary care at each of our many study abroad locations.

We continue academic planning under the presumption that Fordham will offer face-to-face and online instruction at its New York campuses in fall 2020. We are confident that we can do so while protecting the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, subject, of course, to Governor Cuomo’s approval for reopening higher education in New York City. We will also offer the option of fully online learning for any of our students or faculty who might need to participate remotely, for a portion or all of the semester, because of health concerns, visa constraints, travel restrictions, etc.

In preparation for restarting campus activities, the University formed thirteen working groups across every area of operations from COVID-19 screening and containment, dining and residential life, student experience and experiential learning, and infrastructure and sanitation, among others. A website provides the charge and membership of each working group and gives you the opportunity to direct questions or concerns to any of the thirteen working groups. The working groups are coordinated by a steering committee that is developing a comprehensive University-wide plan. Fordham’s restart plan will be published and shared with students, faculty, and staff in late June.

We are currently accepting study abroad applications for the spring 2021 semester and look forward to restarting our study abroad programs when the public health situation permits us to do so. Students who had planned to study abroad this semester can instead pursue their fall studies at Fordham and consider deferring study abroad to a future semester, with priority placement.

As we prepare to offer a transformative education for our students this fall semester, please know that the health and well-being of every member of the Fordham community are of principal importance to us.

Sincerely,

Dennis C. Jacobs, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Four years ago, the University committed to Generation Study Abroad, an initiative spearheaded by the Institute of International Education, to double the number of students studying abroad. At the time, 36% of Fordham undergraduates studied abroad. This month, the institute officially recognized Fordham for passing the 50% threshold.

Joseph Rienti, Ph.D., director of Fordham’s International & Study Abroad Programs, said hitting that number was key to fulfilling Fordham’s goal of educating students to be leaders in a global society.

“It’s one of the best ways we find students can broaden their knowledge of themselves, of their academic discipline, and the world around them,” he said.

“It gives them an opportunity to experience a different culture, a different academic context, and it really just brings that global dimension to their undergraduate education.”

The increase didn’t happen by accident. Rienti said the department underwent a reorganization as part of the push to increase participation. Specific areas of study, such as short term-programs, exchanges, and the London Centre now have individual staff members dedicated specifically to managing them. Outreach has been overhauled as well, and the department now recruits students to be “global ambassadors” and gives them Canon Rebel cameras to document their study abroad trips.

“We think it helped. It’s really given us an opportunity to capture what the students are seeing and doing, and to share with students here in New York, to get them excited about going,” he said.

The new London Centre campus has had a palpable effect, Rienti said, as it enabled his department to offer additional programs, including one connected to internships. The University’s study abroad program in Granada has also expanded in the last three years. Rienti said his department has also worked with faculty to both develop summer courses abroad and add international components to courses that take place in New York.

Exchange programs are also a key area of expansion; most recently Fordham has established two with Institut d’études politiques de Paris and the University of Helsinki in Finland. And just as importantly, Rienti said all of the

26 exchange programs have been designed so that students can tap into the financial aid packages they use in New York City, making cost less of a barrier.

“What we’ve done is very strategically look to expand those opportunities, aware of the fact that we could make studying abroad sometimes even less expensive than studying in New York,” he said.

The department has also distributed an additional $50,000 in aid to students last year, thanks to a fund maintained by donations from parents, alumni, and even current students who want to help their peers.

“Sometimes students still have airfare to pay for, there’s still visas to pay for, and we’re able to give some additional funding to students,” he said.

Participating in Generation Study Abroad was helpful, he said, as it added another level of accountability to the department’s goals.

“We had to report back to the institute, and we were able to participate in conversations with other colleges and universities how to come up with innovative ideas and different strategies to get participation up,” he said.