2008 Woodie Awards
DU programs push students to jump abroad
612 students will participate this fall in study abroad thrills
Mary White
Issue date: 5/8/07 Section: Features
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"The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be," repeated the instructors as they held Lucy's arms and nudged her toward the edge.
"Put your arms out. We are going to count to three, and when we say three, you jump, arms out, head back, swan dive. If you don't jump, we will help you jump."
One. She held her breath.
Two. She curled her toes over the edge of the platform.
Three. She opened her eyes and stared at the crease of the gorge and the abysmal emptiness below her.
Then she was floating down into complete solitude.
When she was pulled back onto the platform, a man with a camera took her photo and said, "You just jumped off Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, the Guinness Book of Record's highest commercial bungee jump in the world. How do you feel?"
Liberated. This is the word that Lucy Brittin uses to describe how she felt after having spent a semester abroad, studying at the University of Cape Town and exploring South Africa.
Brittin is one of the 69 percent of University of Denver students who study abroad for a quarter, a semester or a year while undergraduates, according to the Study Abroad Office. In the fall of 2007, 612 students will leave campus for a foreign country. According to Ellen Strickland of the Study Abroad Office, the most popular countries are Italy, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom, but students are always encouraged to apply to nontraditional locations. With over 150 study abroad programs to choose from worldwide, students have the unique opportunity to see the world while accumulating credits toward their degree.
Junior Mikiah Malerba, who spent her fall semester in Budapest, Hungary, described her experience as "an eye-opening" experience and spent weekends on the road, exploring Eastern Europe.
"I had always wanted to go to Oktoberfest. We had no plans and the trip was very last minute. But we managed to hop in a car with this guy from Austria, and three other people. We were all from different places all over the world, smashed into this little car. And that's what abroad was all about for me," said Malerba.
"Put your arms out. We are going to count to three, and when we say three, you jump, arms out, head back, swan dive. If you don't jump, we will help you jump."
One. She held her breath.
Two. She curled her toes over the edge of the platform.
Three. She opened her eyes and stared at the crease of the gorge and the abysmal emptiness below her.
Then she was floating down into complete solitude.
When she was pulled back onto the platform, a man with a camera took her photo and said, "You just jumped off Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa, the Guinness Book of Record's highest commercial bungee jump in the world. How do you feel?"
Liberated. This is the word that Lucy Brittin uses to describe how she felt after having spent a semester abroad, studying at the University of Cape Town and exploring South Africa.
Brittin is one of the 69 percent of University of Denver students who study abroad for a quarter, a semester or a year while undergraduates, according to the Study Abroad Office. In the fall of 2007, 612 students will leave campus for a foreign country. According to Ellen Strickland of the Study Abroad Office, the most popular countries are Italy, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom, but students are always encouraged to apply to nontraditional locations. With over 150 study abroad programs to choose from worldwide, students have the unique opportunity to see the world while accumulating credits toward their degree.
Junior Mikiah Malerba, who spent her fall semester in Budapest, Hungary, described her experience as "an eye-opening" experience and spent weekends on the road, exploring Eastern Europe.
"I had always wanted to go to Oktoberfest. We had no plans and the trip was very last minute. But we managed to hop in a car with this guy from Austria, and three other people. We were all from different places all over the world, smashed into this little car. And that's what abroad was all about for me," said Malerba.
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