News

As Sam Tighe ‘28 walked through the Go Abroad Fair at Lehigh University this month, she marveled at how many opportunities Lehigh offers to study abroad, and how many fellow students she knows who have taken advantage of those programs.  

“I know so many people here who have studied abroad at least once,” said Tighe, a pre-med student from New York who said she would love the chance to study in Ireland. “It’s great that Lehigh offers so many of these opportunities.”

Hundreds of students attended the annual Go Abroad Fair, held on Sept. 3 on Lehigh’s Alumni Memorial Walkway. The fair allows Lehigh students to learn about opportunities to study, intern, and conduct research through programs across the globe.

“Our annual Go Abroad Fair is a great opportunity for undergraduates to learn about study abroad and other international opportunities all in one place,” said Katy Rene, Assistant Director of Study Abroad at Lehigh.

“Students can participate in programs from their first year all the way to their senior year, so there is something for everyone,” Rene said. “It is also fun for our staff to welcome our partners from around the world to Lehigh, and to make those face-to-face connections.”

The deadline for spring study abroad applications is Oct. 1, and winter applications are now being accepted as well. Fall applications for next year will open in November. Visit Lehigh's Study Abroad office for more information.

Multiple tables and information booths were available during the Go Abroad Fair, featuring staff from Lehigh’s Study Abroad office, faculty members offering programs, and institutional partners with which Lehigh works to provide education abroad opportunities.

“The study abroad fair was full of energy and great conversations with students,” said Alison Ryncarz, Director of Communications at DIS Study Abroad. “DIS and Lehigh celebrate 30 years of partnership this year, and this fair was a great continuation of our work getting Lehigh students abroad to DIS in Copenhagen and Stockholm.”

Rene said several new faculty-led study abroad programs were represented at the fair. They include a summer program in Berlin led by Samantha Fox, Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology, focused on history, ethnography, and design.

Austin Duncan, Assistant Professor of Disability Independence in Lehigh’s College of Health, is co-teaching a new summer program with Christina Chi Zhang, Assistant Professor of Architecture. It will be taught primarily in Bethlehem but will include a 10-day excursion to Copenhagen, reflecting its focus on designing accessible cities.

Additionally, Michael Gusmano, Acting Dean of the College of Health, is launching a winter program in Greece focused on immigration and health, Rene said. A new program in Beijing will also offer students the opportunity to study Chinese language and culture.

The Iacocca International Internship Program (IIIP) was also represented at the fair, a program of the Lee Iacocca Institute for Global Leadership. Since its launch in 2011, IIIP has placed nearly 900 students in high-quality summer internships across five dozen countries.

Other offices, programs, and organizations present at the fair included the Center for Career & Professional Development, CIEE, Global Exchange Lehigh, Global Social Impact Fellowship, Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise, Pride Center, and Temple University.