“In my personal opinion, there is no better educator than travel,” says social studies teacher Mr. Drzonek. “It is amazing because you get to see people [and] you realize that people are just like people anywhere in the world. They may have a different culture, they might eat different foods, their ethnicity or religious practices [may be different], but you get to live and experience that when you travel. It breaks down barriers, [and] it breaks down any biases that you may have. It’s an amazing experience to learn.”
The world is our classroom, and travel has become an increasingly common part of a student’s high school experience in terms of extracurricular and co-curricular trips. Over the years, Mr. Drzonek has taken over one-hundred AP World History students to various countries around the globe, showing them the remains of the history that they’ve learned about. Each month, students travel to competitions across the nation near and far, gaining valuable experiences and skills along the way. Now, a new opportunity emerges: study abroad in high school.
The term study abroad has been associated with the college experience for decades, but its relevance has trickled down to the high school level. Organizations such as the National Student Leadership Conference and Youth for Understanding offer many programs for students seeking this opportunity. At Sandburg, several students have taken their learning to new heights through CIEE summer study abroad opportunities.
Founded in 1947, CIEE is the United States’ oldest and largest non-profit organization in the field of intercultural education with a mission “to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world” (CIEE 2025). The organization is mostly esteemed for their four-week summer language study programs, but offers a wide variety of programs across many different prospective fields of study.
Monajah Euwoso, Sandbur senior, traveled to Legon, Ghana through CIEE last summer for a three-week leadership and service development program accompanied by around twenty other students from around the nation. The goal of this program was to work with nearby schools and volunteer organizations to support students’ learning in the area. Euwoso shares that there is a lot of teacher exhaustion in Ghana and recounts her time attending school in Ghana explaining that she’s “seen how teachers are exhausted and how it can be stressful, especially because a lot of the teachers have kids in the classroom.” She says, “[it was] pretty nice to help my own environment, something that brought me up. I can go back and help them.”
Eesha Pathak, another senior, participated in the CIEE HSSA Aquatic Ecosystems and Sustainability three-week program in Lisbon, Portugal last summer. As opposed to Euwoso’s skill based service program, this program focused on hands-on content learning relating to the program’s area of study. Pathak shares that her favorite parts of the program were all the water-related activities she was able to experience. She explains, “Because we were focusing on aquatic ecosystems, we did so many activities involving the ocean. We went dolphin watching, snorkeling, spent a lot of time at the beach, took a surfing class, kayaking, and so much more!”
CIEE offers students immersive and unique pre-college experiences that develop skills not only important to the subject area of study, but also a student’s personal social-emotional development.
“As we’re becoming adults and we’re growing, it’s important for us to kind of jump in a pool of fire, jump into new experiences,” explains Euwoso. “My first day, I was so scared. It was very frightening, but then the beautiful part about it was that everyone else was also frightened, so we clicked and talked for a long time. The first ten minute bond was actually insane.”
Pathak seconds this, saying that “Although you are still watched after and adults are guiding the experience, there’s an inevitable amount of maturity and independence gained from the experience. CIEE allowed me to expand my comfort zone and become comfortable talking to people I had never met before.” S
She continues, “In my opinion, the social benefits of CIEE are stronger than the academic benefits. In my program, I learned about the importance of fostering sustainable practices, and how our decisions are detrimental to the millions of species living in aquatic environments.”
In addition, Sandburg French teacher Mrs. Schmuck says, “I find that my kids that study abroad are much less hesitant to speak up in class…[and] more willing to speak up right away and not so worried about making mistakes as they are about getting their point across. I think that it helps a lot of them with their independence too, because they’re in another country, and they have to figure out new experiences by themselves, of course with guidance of the program. But I think it’s the first time a lot of students have been more or less on their own without having their parents right there to figure everything out for them.”
Reflecting upon her own study abroad experience, Mrs. Boerema, Sandburg Spanish teacher, says that upon her return “after studying abroad in Spain, my Costa Rican friends were shocked by how much better I was at communicating in Spanish. They noticed a difference right away.” Further, she says, “When I think back to some of the most unique, impactful and amazing moments in my life, I realize that many of them happened while I was traveling or studying abroad.”
All in all, study abroad graduates find the experience as a unique way to open their eyes to a new way of life, whether that be another culture, a future career, or simply a more independent environment that prepares young adults for the next steps of their journey. “You will diversify your views and learn how to accept other ways of life, whether it’s through those you study with or locals you meet in the host country. You will create lasting relationships that will not only be great friends but also create a wide network across the country for college and later in life,” says Pathak.
Some students question their ability to study abroad due to monetary restrictions; however, CIEE offers to meet one-hundred percent of a student’s demonstrated financial need and provides scholarships to most participants. Euwoso affirms that “when you’re in the program, it makes sense why it’s that much money. We got so many opportunities to see the entire country.”
Though CIEE applications have closed for Summer 2025, rising sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply in the next cycle for summer 2026.
Apart from the academic benefits, study abroad programs are “a great way to meet people from different areas around the nation [and world]. You’re opening your mind to different perspectives, different ways of life,” Euwoso says.
The rise of study abroad popularity is not only a response to a societal increase in global curiosity, but it is inspiring rising generations to unite and understand one another, an essential part of our ever connected world.
