For many students, the most exciting part of the RedHawk experience is traveling the world. If you’ve had a chance to take part in a study abroad program at Miami University, you know there are plenty of opportunities for anyone’s passion or degree plan. Here are just a few stories of RedHawks doing incredible things outside the United States.
Meghan Stier ’17
There were two things Meghan Stier always knew: she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, and she wanted to go to Miami. As the daughter of Miami Mergers, she was well-acquainted with the beautiful campus and strong education programs. But when she started working toward her B.A. in Early Childhood Education, she couldn’t have predicted that she would soon be conducting research in Europe.
For her capstone project, Meghan studied abroad in Luxembourg, Austria, and Switzerland to compare European and U.S. schools. Not only did this give her a dynamic perspective on how to be an effective educator, it also helped her land a job once she graduated.
“I feel like it gave me an edge when I was interviewing for teaching positions,” she says, “because it was a unique experience and set me apart from other teaching candidates.”
Now, Meghan has her dream career as a kindergarten teacher, and she’s become a Miami Merger herself. She even got married on Miami’s campus. Talk about living the RedHawk dream!
Delaney Hughes ’22
As a double major in Political Science and Comparative Religion, Delaney Hughes had a study abroad experience tailor-made to her interests. For one of her courses, she traveled to Oman, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai to explore how business, culture, and religion impact the Gulf economy. During her time in the Middle East, she got to compare the different cultures, noting that Oman was very traditional while the UAE felt like a blend of Las Vegas and Chicago. But she didn’t just learn about cultures and geopolitics. She also had a ton of fun.
“It was so cool,” she says. “We got to go to the tallest building in the world and go up and see the view. It was just magical.”
The experience ignited a love of traveling in her, and she didn’t have to wait long for her next adventure. That fall of 2020, she found herself in Europe for the Miami in Luxembourg program. And then, once she graduated, she immediately started her master’s program at the London School of Economics. She’s already seen the view from the world’s tallest building, but with all her incredible experience, she’s still destined to reach new heights.
Phillip Gandy ’20
Students getting real-world study abroad experiences.
What should you study if you’re passionate about philosophy and classical music? In addition to earning a minor in Music Performance, Phillip Gandy realized he could blend his interests by pursuing a B.A. in German Studies. And where is the best place to travel as a German Studies major? Well … Germany!
For the first half of his trip, Phillip studied at an old, prestigious university in Heidelberg. His German classes there were similar to English classes in the United States, where the material extends beyond grammar and structure to literature and cultural knowledge. But the academics were just one aspect of his trip.
“We were in class for about four or five hours,” he says. “And when we got out in the afternoon, Dr. John Jeep would give us grants for train passes where you could go anywhere within two hours for free — just get on the train. So I would just pick a different city on the weekends, and I’d go and I’d eat at their curry restaurants and go to their bookstores.” On the second half of his trip, Phillip stayed with a family in the former East Germany. He credits this experience with being foundational to his education. The members of his host family were, as he puts it, “very devout East Germans,” and he says that “by having dialogues with them, I really changed my whole perspective on the world.”
But what was the highlight of his trip? As a Music Performance minor, he thinks his fondest memory was seeing a Wagner opera — after visiting the castle that inspired it earlier the same day. He definitely ended his trip on a high note.
