Before the fall semester got underway, a group of incoming Marymount freshman students embarked on an international trip to Quebec, Canada. The academic purpose was for students to study various differences between Washington, D.C. and Quebec. The overarching goal of offering this unique program before traditional classes were underway was to allow students to meet peers, engage with faculty, and become acquainted with the global perspective that is endemic to Marymount culture and coursework.
Elligible incoming students were offered the opportunity to apply to the Discover Program Abroad and twelve students, accompanied by a Marymount faculty member, a staff member, and a peer mentor made the trip to “the old capital” in Canada.
?“Our class went to Quebec to study the difference in the economic system of Quebec versus ours here in Washington, D.C. Along with studying and researching this while we were all in Quebec, our class had the opportunity to journey around the city itself and go to various shops and places to eat during our free time. While in Quebec, all of us learned so much about how different, yet similar, Quebec is to Washington, D.C.” participant Austin Deane recounted. “Overall, this program was a great experience and I truly recommend that if anyone is given the opportunity to study abroad, then they should go for it. I sure will if I am ever given the opportunity again.”
Students weren’t only in Quebec for the experience. Each student had to choose a research topic to look comparitively at the differences between Quebec City and the D.C. area; Deane’s topic was the differences between higher education systems in the two areas.
“We are very proud of the success of our First-year Discover Program Abroad in Quebec City.”? says, Jennifer Crystle, Assistant Director of the Center for Global Education at Marymount. “The students were able to make early connections with peers, faculty, and staff at Marymount, all while having a meaningful global experience. First year experience programs and study abroad programs are considered high-impact practices, so when you combine these practices, we believe that this type of program has the potential to positively affect student success and retention.”
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the Discover Quebec: First-Year Research Showcase on Tuesday, November 12th, from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m., in the Ballston Second-floor Conference Room. An overview of the Discover Quebec program will be presented, followed by an opportunity to see students’ poster presentations on their research topics.
