by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Dane Smith Hall was filled with about 25 booths advertising study abroad opportunities for students on Tuesday.
The booths were run by UNM groups and several other colleges and private organizations.
One booth, run by a student travel magazine, gave students a chance to win a $1,000 airplane ticket to anywhere in the world.
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Student Elizabeth Romero, who worked for one of the booths, said it was worth the expense to study abroad.
"The benefits totally outweigh the costs," she said.
Romero spent a semester in Scotland and said it was a great experience.
She paid regular UNM tuition and fees for her semester overseas but had to pay for transportation across the Atlantic, as well as living expenses.
She said studying abroad is easier and more accessible than most students realize.
"There's so many programs that students don't know about," she said.
It is a good addition to a college education to spend some time out of the country, she said.
"It's so important to get a view of the world," she said. "It broadens your education."
Patience Peebles, a representative for International Studies Abroad, was at the fair and said studying abroad is not just beneficial to students.
"It's good for the whole campus," she said. "It opens your eyes, and that's good for everyone."
She said going overseas is especially important in the modern world.
"The world is becoming more internationalized," she said. "And if students can be part of that, they'll do better later on."
Travis Kellerman, who spent a year in England, said taking foreign classes gave him a different perspective.
"Even though I was in England and spoke the language it's an entirely different culture," he said. "People don't center around themselves as much. It's more of a group-based mentality."
He said going to England helped him think of Europe and the rest of the world as less of an abstract idea and more of a concrete reality.
Robyn CìtÇ, the program coordinator for UNM's Latin American and Iberian Institute, agreed.
"Because of the global environment these days, it's really advantageous for students to have a study abroad experience," she said. "It gives them an idea of where they want to go in their life."
CìtÇ said she would like to see more UNM students participate in exchange programs. She said about 1 percent of students go overseas for school.
CìtÇ said a small number of students participate because there are not enough scholarships at UNM to help with travel costs.
"The problem here is that UNM doesn't have a lot of money, and a lot of the students that go here can't afford to travel," she said. "UNM has a strong commitment to increasing international studies. However, we really need more funding."
Student Carmela Morales said she had been considering going to school in Mexico. The fair made it seem easier than she thought.
"I think it's good for giving information," she said. "Not a lot of students know about these opportunities."
There was a similar fair last year, and CìtÇ said it will become an annual event.
Student Breanna LoGuercio, who spent about a month volunteering and touring in New Zealand, said she decided to go to New Zealand after another student made a short speech at the beginning of one of her classes about studying abroad.
She spent two weeks working for nature conservation, and spent the other two weeks traveling around the country, and went white-water rafting and bungee jumping, she said.
She said everyone who has any opportunity to participate in similar programs should take advantage of it.
She said it was a good experience not just because she met people from New Zealand, but also because she met people from the United States that she would not have met otherwise.
"It's just an experience to meet all kinds of people you've never met," she said. "I would recommend it to everybody."
Ken Carpenter, director of UNM's International Programs and Studies, estimated about 1,000 students passed through the event, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Students interested in studying abroad should visit the Web sites of the Latin American and Iberian Institute and International Programs and Studies.
