A Learning Adventure: Students dive into new cultures through Study Abroad 

To supplement the in-depth instruction they received in the classroom throughout the school year, several Liberty University students opted to gain real-world experience through Study Abroad programs last summer. 

International relations senior Laney Avery was one of 45 students who completed study abroad courses in 14 different countries during the summer. She spent five weeks taking two classes in Meknes, Morocco, on Arabic and Islamic politics. In addition to her classwork, she also immersed herself in Moroccan life as she traveled throughout the country, riding camels in Marrakesh, walking in various medinas (marketplaces), and more. 

Avery said the trip helped prepare her for a future career in government with the heavy cultural influence of the French, the indigenous Amazigh people, and others on Moroccan society. 

“Overall, this trip just helped build my confidence, which will help me later on down the road with getting a job and stepping into that,” she said. “It will also help me because within the government there will be people of all different backgrounds. Learning how to discuss with them and work with them is very important.” 

Despite being in a predominately Muslim country, Avery said she grew in her faith while overseas and was encouraged to build strong relationships with others. 

“Learning how to be the light of Christ while I was there was such a big thing in helping me grow in my faith and actually learning to rely completely on the Lord,” she said. “It helped me grow so much and helped me learn to live with people who don’t share the same faith as me.” 

For business communications junior Alana Adachi, Liberty’s Study Abroad program offered her the opportunity to traverse the streets of Rome, Italy, while taking two classes on international business and marketing communications at the American University of Rome. During her five weeks of three-hour classes Monday-Thursday, Adachi learned about Italian culture and compared it with other world cultures from a business perspective. She spent her weekends visiting Venice, Florence, Tuscany, the Isle of Capri, Sorrento, and more. 

Through every experience, Adachi said she developed a much stronger appreciation for Italian culture. Before her trip, she said she viewed Italian citizens as cold and reserved to outsiders but once there, she quickly found them to be welcoming and friendly. It didn’t take her long to strike up a friendship with a local grocer. 

In addition, she said the trip strengthened her faith and relationship with God. Although she completed the program through World Strides and its Christian study abroad program Veritas, Adachi often found herself in situations without the encouragement and support of other Christians. 

“For me, I had to really (acknowledge) that if Jesus really means so much to me, that is going to change my day-to-day lifestyle,” she said. “That’s going to change the choices I make. Every day I had to ask myself, ‘What are my priorities? Am I going to prioritize reading my Bible?’ 

“It was really me against me, because no one else was keeping me accountable. … I think God used that to give me the push I need to realize this is real stuff. Liberty is great, and I’m so thankful for the community here, but when we graduate and leave this place, we have to choose how we are going to live our life.” 

Over the summer, Liberty’s Study Abroad students also took courses in fashion design and merchandise, marketing, European art and culture, French language intensives, philosophy, Spanish, and studio art and design. Students traveled to France, England, Morocco, Spain, Greece, Italy, South Korea, Germany, Tanzania, Japan, Ecuador, Colombia, Turkey, and the Netherlands. 

Liberty’s program is open to online and residential students of all academic disciplines. During the 2024-25 academic year, 178 Liberty students participated in Study Abroad. Partner host universities include Greek Bible College and Richmond American University in London. This academic year, an estimated 200 students will travel to Italy, Ecuador, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, and more. 

“Study Abroad provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience that increases a student’s competency, soft skills, resilience, employability, but most of all, faith in God,” said Audrey Hammond, executive director of LU Send, the office that facilitates all student travel at Liberty. “Students who get outside of their comfort zone will see and experience God’s love and sovereignty in new ways that help them build spiritual muscles for the future in a way few other experiences could replicate.”