Study Abroad Fair Continues to Encourage Ospreys to Go Global
Stockton University's Office of Global Engagement hosted a Study Abroad Fair in the Campus Center on Thursday, Sept. 18.
Galloway, N.J. – For Theo Elefante, a first-year Communication Studies major, Sept. 18’s Study Abroad Fair came at a perfect time.
The Galloway resident was already interested in studying abroad and now had all of the various opportunities, resources and programs available to Stockton University students in one centralized hub.
“One of the reasons I came to Stockton was because of the study abroad opportunities,” the Honors College student said. “I really want to go to Europe or somewhere in Asia, like Japan, or back home to the Philippines, where I personally come from. This has been a really good experience, being able to see what options I have.”
In addition to information and resources, participants at the fair had the chance to win giveaways, including a raffle for a brand-new suitcase or a free T-shirt through spinning a prize wheel.
Countries such as South Korea and Japan in Asia and France and Italy in Europe were top of mind for many of the students weaving through the tables. However, when listing potential countries to study in, both Criminal Justice junior Alexandra Squitieri and Sociology major Tristan Simmons expressed interest in exploring Ireland.
The West Caldwell residents were pleased to see the variety of programs available and appreciated how helpful the Office of Global Engagement was throughout the fair.
“I’m Irish, and I heard that Ireland is one of the safest study abroad places to go to,” Squitieri said. “I would be excited to learn more about my heritage.”
“I’m also Irish, and I’ve never been to Ireland either, so I want to check it out and see what it has to offer,” Simmons said.
When students weren’t listening in on information sessions or perusing the program tables, they were talking with their peers about their education abroad experiences. Business major Emily Cipriani credits being able to study in the French Riviera with the CEA CAPA program for getting her out of her shell.
“It was an amazing experience,” Cipriani said, sharing that she studied at an international business school. “I feel so lucky to have learned from international professors, and I feel like I have friends all over the world now.”
Cipriani, of Oaklyn, believes that every Stockton student should have the opportunity to experience education abroad, which prompted her to share her own experience at the fair, despite her inclination toward introversion.
“I just love the program so much that I had to come and talk about it. It was an incredible opportunity, and I feel so fortunate to have studied abroad with CEA CAPA,” she said.
Patricia Sagasti Suppes, the director of Stockton’s Office of Global Engagement (OGE), and her office have hosted the fair every fall and spring since the spring of 2024.
Since Sagasti Suppes has joined the OGE, the office has expanded its programming options and has worked hard to promote these opportunities to students via hosting events like the Study Abroad Fair, airing “commercial breaks” during lectures and teaching faculty and staff members how to become “Global Champions” in workshops throughout the year. She also credits Diana Strelczyk, the assistant director of Education Abroad, for working closely with her to "broaden outreach and opportunities abroad."
“I'm excited about how studying abroad is growing, and more and more students are becoming aware of it while our faculty are becoming more and more involved,” Sagasti Suppes said. “The world is opening up for our students.”
– Story by Loukaia Taylor
– Photos by Susan Allen
International Study Emphasized at Global Engagement Fair
February 4, 2025
Galloway, N.J. – What began as a way for the Office of Global Engagement to streamline information gathering for Stockton students interested in studying abroad has transformed into a centralized and comprehensive hub encompassing all of the resources and programs available to students.
Students explored the tables lining the hallways of the Campus Center to find programs that best suited their interests at the Jan. 30 Study Abroad Fair. Amidst the information and resources were chances to win giveaways, such as a raffle for a new suitcase or a free T-shirt after spinning a prize wheel.
Study abroad options, like the faculty-led programming that takes students to Ghana, South Africa and Greece, were manned by students and faculty who joined previous excursions, like Criminal Justice major Isabella Campione, who vlogged her time in Italy and Ireland, and Environmental Science major Jayden Hamlet, who visited Ghana through the program just last year.
As someone who possesses an innate adventurousness, Hamlet is hopeful that his role in the fair will encourage students to consider studying abroad.
“As soon as we touched down in Africa, I already knew that I would gain a lot of experiences and a lot of memories from this, and I wanted to share that with the school community,” said Hamlet, who had previously described his study in Ghana as “transformative.”
