Going Global: A Lifetime of Learning From Studying Abroad

n-person summer study abroad programs are returning for the first time since the pandemic. It’s the chance of a lifetime to learn about distant cultures and broaden horizons, but it’s really just the beginning of how much students have to gain from international travel. From finding new career paths to forming lifetime friendships, UCLA alumni reflect on the value of studying abroad and serve as a reminder that it is never too late to go global.

For John Arboleda ’96, going global is a mindset. Since participating in the University of California Education Abroad Program (EAP), Arboleda’s passion for travel has taken him across the world. Arboleda, who is also a former member of the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors, says that the perspectives he has gained abroad enables him to effectively communicate with people of all backgrounds and navigate a range of challenges—from exploring Machu Picchu by himself in the summer entering his senior year at UCLA to making the decision to leave everything behind and move to Germany to begin his life working abroad. His dedication to exploring the world beyond Los Angeles long after graduation only proves that traveling is a timeless way of engaging in continued learning and exploration.

While Arboleda began his international journey in Argentina and Chile as an EAP student, he has worked in Europe for the past 18 years and currently lives in Barcelona with his family.

“This is a life we never imagined, so for me, it's never stopped,” Arboleda says. “It's just been the next chapter of my EAP experiences.”

As Arboleda navigated unfamiliar public transit systems and balanced the demands of his courseloads in Latin America, he also forged lifelong friendships. In Santiago, Arboleda encountered a UC Berkeley student who was also looking for housing. Together, they sought out a local family renting the extra rooms of their home.

“This is a life we never imagined, so for me, it's never stopped. It's just been the next chapter of my EAP experiences."

Today, Arboleda says, that UC Berkeley student has become his best friend. She continues her own travels abroad during her regular visits to Arboleda and his family in Barcelona. The former EAP participants, whose friendship was formed across continents, have enjoyed watching their children grow up together during the families’ yearly reunions—a testament to the unexpected benefits of studying abroad.“

For me that was like, ‘Wow, that was a great program,’” Arboleda says. “But I think that program can be as much as you want it to be, and it was definitely much more than I expected.” Years after his own experiences abroad, Arboleda has helped other Bruins make the most of their travels. Four years in a row leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arboleda invited UCLA students in the Spanish department into his Barcelona home. As he introduced students to his children and showed them around his apartment, Arboleda proved that connecting with UCLA's vast alumni network can enrich the student experience.

For Megan Jensen ’08, studying abroad in Italy and Mexico was initially a way of strengthening her language skills and earning credits toward her degree. However, she returned to the U.S. with a greater passion for international education and a career path that would take her across the globe.

Jensen built upon the international development coursework she had taken in Mexico and pursued a master’s degree in international education. She has since continued to grow her global mindset and expand on her travels abroad after receiving a Fulbright grant to work in South Africa and develop literacy programs for local high schools.“

Being in Mexico and doing that program helped me to explore how different communities experience literacy,” Jensen says. “That exploration, it really just validated for me my own desire to support people in local communities in accessing education.”

"(Study abroad) can also just serve the goal of having some fun, because life during the pandemic has not been very fun for a lot of people."

When asked what she anticipates students will get out of their experiences abroad this summer, Jensen says that she hopes Bruins will find whatever they’re looking for as they embark on their international journey. She believes the return of in-person study abroad programs can bring happiness and fulfillment to students’ lives after living in a largely virtual world throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“(Study abroad) can also just serve the goal of having some fun, because life during the pandemic has not been very fun for a lot of people,” Jensen said. “Being able to have the opportunity to travel again, I hope, just brings some joy and adventure.”

Malika Pandey, a third-year student majoring in political science and public affairs and minoring in education studies, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Arboleda and Jensen by forging her own adventures in Colombia this summer as a member of UCLA’s Global Internship Program. After growing up in Southern California, Pandey says she is excited to learn more about Colombian culture and art, while also building upon her own Spanish speaking skills and passion for educational policy.

“I wanted to move somewhere that was different, somewhere that I would learn a lot about myself as well as the culture in the country,” Pandey says. “My view of the world is limited by the fact that … those around me, we all come from the same kind of common culture and the same kind of knowledge base.”

However, upon the conclusion of the 2021-22 school year, Pandey was no longer a stranger to the world beyond Los Angeles. As a participant in the UCLA Quarter in Washington Program in spring 2022, Pandey developed a new set of skills which empowered her to live over 2,000 miles away from home for the first time. From learning to take advantage of D.C.’s professional networking culture to navigating the metro system on a daily basis, Pandey successfully passed a 10-week crash course in adapting and adjusting to a new way of life.

"I wanted to move somewhere that was different, somewhere that I would learn a lot about myself as well as the culture in the country."

Perhaps most important, Pandey says that living in D.C. has helped her realize that she can find happiness beyond California—something that she hopes to continue to learn this summer.

“I have a lot of appreciation for other people and other ways of living your life,” Pandey says. “Applying that to Colombia, I think it'll be the same thing, but on an even more drastic scale.”

The opportunities UCLA provides through its study abroad program are invaluable. For many Bruins, it’s just the beginning of what can turn into a career exploration and a lifelong learning experience.