impact on ALUMNI Parenti stresses that the beauty of these programs is in their financial sustainability – that is, they come with no additional loans or costs. “The price tag for a study abroad experience is certainly a factor for many of our students,” he says. “Our goal is to provide that global perspective, that hunger for different ideas, without any new loans or debt.” In response to Parenti’s commitment to developing opportunities that are both transformative and accessible, SNHU President Paul LeBlanc and his wife, Pat Findlen, created a scholarship fund to help students who might have otherwise assumed that study abroad was out of their reach.
The Findlen-LeBlanc Travel Scholarship Fund
Jaimie is really enjoying Florence and the rest of Italy; she loves the school and her classes. I am on my way to visit today. Name: Jim Konowitz, father of Jaimie Konowitz ’14 Major: Elementary Education Certification: General Special Education Study Abroad Program: Florence University of the Arts, Italy
LeBlanc and Findlen watched their own two daughters return from trips to Africa, Asia and India with a much deeper appreciation of cultures other than their own, thinking both more critically and appreciatively of aspects of American culture. “The reality is that we are sending our students into a globally connected world. There’s no version of the future in which Americans stand in isolation,” says LeBlanc. “Cultural immersion and service learning projects engender in people a sense of awe at just how complicated and rich and wonderful the world can be.” This belief in the power of travel led LeBlanc and Findlen to donate $100,000 for study abroad scholarships, a gift that was matched by the Board of Trustees. The Findlen-LeBlanc Travel Scholarship Fund will help grant access to study abroad experiences for students in financial need, opening the door for many more students to get involved in a world larger than their own. ◆
President Paul LeBlanc and his wife, Pat Findlen
I’m big into culture and not being just a tourist. Sure, it’s nice to see places I’ve only read about in books, but I’d rather meet locals and do my best to absorb the culture and blend in. This helps me see any place I go in a deeper way than if I stay in the tourist mindset. Name: Ariana Refsdal ’15 Major: Psychology Minor: Justice Studies Study Abroad Program: Webster University, Vienna, Austria
Visit alumni.snhu.edu/impact/studyabroad for more student stories. 2013-2014
Impact
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