By Jaime Thomas, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Stanley, who is from Bullitt County, will travel to Florence and Rome in Italy for a two-week program through the Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS). KIIS is a consortium of colleges and universities that focuses on providing affordable, international education. Now entering its 40th year, KIIS has expanded from one program in one country to more than 25 programs in 20 different countries around the world.
Two ECTC students will participate in the winter study abroad program from Dec. 26 through Jan. 6, 2015. In addition to Stanley, Angala Lyttle, an accounting and arts and humanity student from Meade County, will study historical art in Italy. She hopes to experience more of her own cultural ancestry. “I am adopted and the only thing I know is that I have an Italian background,” Lyttle said. “I have always wanted to go and see the beautiful art and culture.”
Many students in ECTC’s 12-coounty service region may be surprised to learn that international education is an option at their local community college. Non-traditional students, for example, may feel they can’t study abroad due to work, family and other responsibilities. “All the students studying in this winter program are non-traditional students,” said Jim Murley, international education coordinator at ECTC. “We’ve got to get the word out that people who have families and who are studying at a community college can have an international educational experience.”
In fact, in the four years that Kentucky Community and Technical College has been a member of the KIIS consortium, ECTC has become a frontrunner among community colleges in study abroad student participation. “We are the leading proponent in KCTCS of students studying abroad,” Murley said.
According to Murley, the best time for transfer students to travel abroad is while here at ECTC because there may not be much “wiggle room” in their degree programs once they move on to a university. Students should start thinking about it now and planning as soon as possible. Application and scholarship deadlines for the summer program are fast approaching, and various documents need to be in place before studying abroad. “Just the act of applying for a passport is a big deal,” Murley said. But it is worth it.
“Experiencing new environments and different types of people help students learn who they are and gain the confidence to have even more new experiences,” he said.
“I think most students think they can’t do this – my job is to convince them they can.”
More information is available from Murley at 270-706-8541, jim.murley@kctcs.edu.
-30-
Photo Cutline: Rachelle Stanley, left, and Angala Lyttle will participate in ECTC’s KIIS winter study abroad program in Italy.