CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – After almost three years, Austin Peay State University (APSU) has begun to reintroduce study abroad programs for its students.
As with everyone else in the world, 2020 saw the rise of the coronavirus pandemic for students and staff of APSU. This massive pitfall for the university, and the world, changed everything in the day-to-day life of students. It cancelled long-set plans, created widespread online courses, and quite frankly disrupted everything.
Dr. Brandon Di Paolo Harrison, assistant professor of accounting for the university, saw this play out through the study abroad program.
At the time, late winter of 2020, Di Paolo Harrison had been caught up planning an upcoming trip for the program. He had spent countless hours in order to make sure the trip, which was intended to be a month in Rosario, Argentina, the best that he could and to provide a lengthy exposure to the culture of the area.
However, Di Paolo Harrison’s excitement and preparation were no match for the pandemic, which eventually cancelled the trip.
Disappointed that COVID-19 struck these plans out for the second year in a row, Di Paolo Harrison was joyed to hear that the university had plans to allow sponsored travel once more.
By this point in time, many began to doubt that the trip would ever play out again, but in May 2022, good news finally came. The College of Business, accompanied by Di Paolo Harrison, journeyed with 10 students to the Universidad del Centro Educativo Latinoamericano campus and got to see the sights of Argentina, as well as La Segunda, Iguazu Falls, and Patagonia.
While on the trip, the students lived similarly to foreign exchange students with host families that taught them a variety of cultural phenomenon such as taking Tango lessons, making empanadas, and speaking proper Spanish.
The students also got the chance to lean into the business life by taking classes and discussing supply chain issues with executives.
While the experiences gained were immeasurable, most of the trip was actually completely free for those involved thanks to grants and scholarships provided by the University and the College of Business.
As far as future plans, Di Paolo Harrison and the College of Business are planning another trip below the border from May 10 to June 11 of this year.
