IVCC students, staff study abroad this summer

An Illinois Valley Community College open house opened up the world for Charlee Bourell, and now she’s ready to fly.

Bourell and six other Illinois Valley Community College students and employees head to Europe and Canada this summer to study abroad. She’ll study Irish literature and history at Carlow College in Carlow, Ireland, for four weeks. She’ll also explore the country, including the capital of Dublin, on field trips that the criminal justice major anticipates will be “an incredible experience!”

Bourell looked forward to this trip from the time she attended an IVCC open house as a high school senior.

“There was a booth that had a list of countries I could travel to,” Bourell said. “I thought that it was a great opportunity, and the week I started classes, I reached out to learn more about the program.”

She’s been warding off nervousness about the journey by learning as much about the country and its culture as she can.

Students Lynn Keyt, Riker Fesperman and Anastasia Mallery Sondgeroth travel to Toronto, Canada, for a new three-week program at Humber University. Keyt and Fesperman, both of LaSalle, will take an environmental studies/sustainability course and Sondgeroth of Malden will study intercultural communications.

It’s Keyt’s second trip abroad.

“These are once-in-a-lifetime trips for me,” said Keyt, a business administration major. “I can go places I most likely would never have the chance to go,”

Every trip is different, and she savors each one’s uniqueness. Field trips take students beyond the classroom, and she’s looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls this trip. She’ll also have a chance to observe how businesses operate in other countries.

Keyt’s first transatlantic flight to Austria last year delivered unbelievable views – but those were eclipsed by what she saw when she arrived at her destination.

“Waking up in the Alps every morning was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and being able to see different locations that were part of one of my favorite musicals, ‘The Sound of Music’ was breathtaking!” she said.

This will be Anastasia’s first trip outside the country, and she’s looking forward to “going somewhere new and discovering lots of new things. I can’t wait to meet lots of new people,” though the shy science major is a bit nervous about making new friends. The more she learns about her destination, the more excited she is to go there, she said.

His mother Amanda’s embrace of travel sparked Fesperman’s enthusiasm for it. He’s no stranger to European travel and enjoys sampling diverse cultures, languages “and most of all, food.” Last year’s trip to Austria supplied “too many memories to recount. I think that speaks for itself.”

Amanda Cook Fesperman, who is IVCC’s coordinator of study abroad, will join the Canada-bound trio for a 10-day faculty program. She’ll study educational leadership.

Additionally, psychology professor Rick Mangold and Director of Admissions Tom Quigley traveled to The Netherlands for two weeks in May, repaying a visit from two Dutch educators they hosted here last fall.

“I’m looking forward to experiencing a different culture, seeing a different college, and going to a professional European soccer match!” Quigley said before he departed.

Study abroad programs are offered through IVCC’s membership in the Illinois Consortium of International Studies and Programs. Summer programs are available in Austria, Ireland, Canada, Ghana West Africa, France, Costa Rica and Spain. Semester programs are available in Austria, England, Ireland and Spain.

The program is open to students in the district over 18 who have completed at least 12 credit hours of college coursework with a 2.75 GPA, as well as a college writing course with a 3.0 GPA. Students attending area high schools who meet these requirements are eligible to study abroad as are adult community members.

For more information, contact Amanda Cook Fesperman at 815-224-0203.