Study Abroad Brings Learning to Life for UA Little Rock Students

History looks different when you’re standing where it happened. Business concepts make more sense when you see them in action. Science comes alive when the textbook gives way to the natural world.

Those are the kinds of moments dozens of University of Arkansas at Little Rock students experienced while studying abroad during the last academic year. From Scotland and Peru to the Bahamas and beyond, 65 students returned home with new perspectives on their academic fields, greater confidence in themselves, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

“Study abroad gives students the opportunity to connect what they’ve learned in the classroom with experiences they simply can’t have on campus,” said Drew Smith, coordinator of study abroad. “Whether they’re studying business, history, science, or the humanities, they’re seeing their education come to life while developing the confidence, adaptability, and global perspective that will serve them long after graduation.”

For accounting student Reese Davidson, one of those moments happened in Scotland.

While touring a local business, she listened as leaders explained how the company balances products that generate immediate revenue with others that take years to develop. Suddenly, concepts she had studied in accounting courses made perfect sense.

“Hearing that made the concepts of product sequencing and maximizing equipment usage click in a real-world setting,” Davidson said. “It showed me exactly how a business can sell fast-turnaround products to fund the future development of a premium flagship product.”

The experience reinforced her decision to pursue accounting while showing her just how global the profession can be.

“This experience has made me even more solidified in my chosen field of study,” she said. “More than anything, realizing how portable and globally relevant accounting is makes the future look incredibly vast.”

Some of her biggest lessons, however, weren’t part of the itinerary.

Navigating an unfamiliar city challenged her to rely less on GPS and more on observation. What began as a weakness became one of the most rewarding parts of the trip.

“Stepping away from GPS allowed me to observe the environment more closely,” she said. “Wrong turns became unexpected discoveries.”

For history major Cal Chaney, learning came from stepping into places he had spent years studying.

His faculty-led course paired readings and discussions with visits to historic sites, allowing students to experience firsthand the people, places, and events that had previously existed only in books.

“Going to see some of these medieval cities is so different from getting to read about them,” Chaney said. “You begin to see how history connects: not just across places, but across time. It gives you a completely different perspective on what you’ve been studying.” 

The experience was far more than sightseeing.

Students spent long days exploring cultural and historical landmarks before returning to complete journal readings, reflective writing assignments, and discussions that connected what they had experienced with the course material. By the end of the program, those reflections became the foundation for a walking tour created by the students themselves. 

“It was an intensive program but so worthwhile,” Chaney said. “We were reading, writing, and exploring every day. I learned more in those 16 days than I could have in a semester. Being immersed in the culture was an incredibly rare opportunity.” 

The experience also sparked a new interest in learning French and strengthened his confidence in navigating unfamiliar places and cultures.

“Learning to communicate with people and adapt to situations different from what you’re used to is something that stays with you,” he said. “It’s a skill that will help me wherever I go next.”

For Syd Joheim, the classroom stretched beneath the surface of the ocean.

Studying biology and geology on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas meant snorkeling through coral reefs, collecting field samples, and examining geological formations she had previously encountered only in textbooks.

One lesson stood above the rest. After studying crossbedding — how sediment is deposited — in class, Joheim finally found herself standing in front of remarkably clear examples shaped over thousands of years.

“Being able to see these near perfect examples of structures and processes I studied in class was incredibly helpful to both my understanding of the class material and my understanding of my field of study overall,” she said. 

The experience also deepened her appreciation for how biology, geology, and the natural world are interconnected.

“I knew the subjects were connected,” she said. “To actually see that interconnectedness in action was awe inspiring.” 

When she returned home, she found herself seeing Arkansas differently as well.

“I now look at my hometown with a little bit more wonder and with the goal of making it a place where people and nature can thrive together,” she said. 

By the time geology major and Donaghey Scholar Ella Campbell returned from Peru, she knew one thing for certain: the more she learned about the world, the more she wanted to understand it.

As a member of the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program, UA Little Rock’s premier undergraduate honors program, Campbell receives a scholarship that includes support for study abroad. The experience gave her the chance to see geology beyond the classroom and only deepened the curiosity that drew her to the field, leaving her eager to keep exploring, asking questions, and learning more about the world.

“My experience studying abroad in Peru this past semester has been nothing short of spectacular,” she said. “This experience has taught me so much and has given me incredible opportunities to expand my understanding of the world, my educational goals, and myself.”

She said the experience strengthened not only her passion for geology, but also her desire to continue exploring, learning, and asking questions, an approach to learning emphasized in the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program.

“I leave my study abroad journey as both simultaneously satisfied and insatiable because I now carry an even greater hunger for learning, experiencing, and understanding,” she added. 

Smith said that while every destination is different, the impact often follows a familiar pattern.

“The goal isn’t simply to take students somewhere new,” Smith said. “It’s to create experiences that challenge them to think differently about their studies, themselves, and the world around them. When they return to campus, they bring that curiosity and confidence into every classroom, internship, and career they pursue.”

More details on UA Little Rock’s Study Abroad program can be found online. With nearly 600 approved programs, there’s an experience to match the goals and dreams of any student.