In the summer of 2012 I was a lowly freshman, stumbling through the treacherous landscape known as “college.” I had no idea as a 19 year old, practically a pubescent child in the grand scheme of life, that I would climb the ranks of college life to eventually become a teachers aid, a resident assistant, a research assistant, an honors leader, a brother of a fraternity and an editor of a news publication. It wasn’t two months into my collegiate career that I was urged by a professor, more than any other person in my life, to go and study abroad.

For many college students, studying abroad affords the opportunity for a degree of personal development and professional sophistication that classrooms and lecture halls simply cannot provide. Besides from the obvious in-depth and hands-on learning going across seas guarantees, study abroad empowers young adults, some too young to buy a bottle of jaeger or even to vote, the highest point on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Self Actualization.

How lucky was I to choose a school by happenstance that was innately passionate about sending students to other countries. Not only were opportunities available to me, in which I went to Peru and Italy, but financial support was easily locatable. Who knew that my school, the University of North Florida, was on a quest to send as many students as they could, across seas.

Dr. Jeff Michelman, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Honors Program Director at the University of North Florida, led a study abroad trip to Peru during spring break 2015, a trip I participated in the prior year. According to Michelman, this was the first “freshman-only” study abroad trip led by the University of North Florida.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Florida is number 13 on the list of states with the most students on study abroad trips. Schools such as UF and FSU lead the list in Florida universities with large numbers of students studying abroad. President Delaney hopes to add UNF to that list.

Freshman going on study abroad trips is not the norm, for those who may not know. Often times, universities set limits on who can participate in trips, and freshman class status is usually one that weeds out applicants.

Michelman, leading an all freshman trip, believes that it is important for students to study abroad in their first year to acclimate them to the challenges faced by those who decide to spend a semester or year studying in another country. Unlike studying in a classroom in the U.S., Michelman says the benefits of learning in another country are endless, and those who have the opportunity to have a study abroad experience are ahead of other students when it comes to applying for internships, jobs and graduate programs.

“We’re still not at the point where we’re getting a lot of faculty interested in taking first-year students abroad,” said Michelman in response to the volume of similar trips led by professors at the university.

Michelman believes that the only way to increase the amount of students studying abroad is to have more faculty involved in the abroad experience. “It’s hard to convince students to go when you haven’t been yourself,” said Michelman reflecting on the dozens of trips he has taken thus far.

Michelman’s Peru spring break trip is in its second year, going to Peru last year with freshmen and sophomore students. The trip consists of a culture class run by Michleman. Additionally, Michelman has a “service-learning model” for the class, which includes service hours completed in Jacksonville and $300 raised by each student for donation to a non-governmental organization, chosen by the students during their time in the country and when they return.

“We try it in honors, if we can make it work in honors, we can make it work with all undergrads,” said Michelman, calling honors the “sandbox,” of the university. Since coming to the honors program, Michelman has been adamant that honors students need an abroad experience to round out their time at UNF.

I quote Dr. Michelman because he had a lasting impact on my participation going abroad. Of course my first trip was with him, but my second was through his encouragement, recommendation letter and continued support- including the honors department awarding me funds to make my Italy trip a reality.

UNF President John Delaney had lunch with students who recently returned from study abroad trips, “I described the students this way: their eyes had changed.” When asked about the future of UNF, Delaney would like to see UNF gain the reputation as a study abroad university.

Michelman has been part of UNF faculty for 24 years, joining the honors program in January after being the director of the UNF International Business Flagship Program.

I can’t say that studying abroad is a necessity for every student because I simply don’t know. What I can say is that I was changed when I went abroad. Afterwards I rose in the ranks of my jobs and classes, I realized that I had more potential than simply staying in the state I was born in and even now I see myself being impacted by the strong desire to hop on a plane.