
BYU faculty at the Kennedy Center urge students interested in studying abroad to start preparing at the beginning of a new school year to apply for these opportunities.
Students have access to many different study abroad programs at BYU. The Kennedy Center has resources for them to apply for scholarships or internships to be able to go abroad.
James Mayo, the scholarships coordinator at the Kennedy Center, stressed the importance of preparing for a study abroad.
“This is the moment — now, in September — to think, ‘How am I going to get funding to pay for the program in spring or summer?’” Mayo said.
Mayo recognizes a unique appeal for BYU students to study abroad.
“I think BYU students, in general, tend to be outward-facing,” Mayo said. “I think, in general, BYU students are excited to go out into the world, beyond Provo, to see what’s going on and make a difference.”
Mayo works closely with study abroad programs and students that work through scholarships. He believes that the opportunity to achieve the growth he saw in those students should be available to everyone.
“It’s like Christmas for me everytime they come back because I love to see how they’ve grown — intellectually, culturally, spiritually — in ways that they didn’t even imagine,” Mayo said.
The Kennedy Center offers information and resources for students to be able to participate in study abroad programs. Carly Watson, a junior at BYU, was able to attend an internship abroad in Taichung, Taiwan, with some funding.
“It actually ended up being pretty reasonable,” Watson said. “The main cost was the opportunity cost of not working because usually I work during the summer.”
Watson reflected on her experience applying to scholarships with assistance from the Kennedy Center. She attended a meeting that taught students how to apply for scholarships and studies abroad.
“That was really helpful because I felt like I wasn’t going to be wasting my time applying to all of these scholarships that I was automatically disqualified for,” Watson said.
The Kennedy Center will start holding information meetings about scholarships and the application process in October. Faculty will meet with students every Thursday at 11 a.m. in 257 HRCB throughout Fall Semester.
“I think the most important thing for students to know is they should start looking for scholarships the moment they’re interested in going on (a) study abroad,” Mayo said. “Our scholarship page is set up to help students figure out which one is best for them.”
BYU students can find a survey that will tell them what scholarships they qualify for as well as links to information about each scholarship here.
Mayo believes that study abroad programs at BYU are unique because a higher percentage of programs are designed and led by faculty members than at many other universities he has interacted with.
“They have meaningfully thought about how they are going to create a program where the students are going to learn things that directly relate to their lives — not just as BYU students, but when they graduate from BYU as well,” Mayo said.
Watson reflected on her time spent in Taiwan with fondness for the people and a new understanding of other people’s experiences.
“I forgot how hard it is to be immersed and how lonely it can be to be in a different country,” Watson said. “It just has given me a better sense of empathy for international students or people that I meet who are learning English, because it’s really hard.”
Mayo looked back on his first experience with a study abroad program and how it impacted the learning experience of the students.
“Learning the things that they were learning in Paris opened their eyes to seeing how other people in the world discussed the same topics we were discussing, how they presented those ideas through monuments or museums,” Mayo said.
BYU offers language scholarships for students as well as study abroad internships and scholarships.
“I think that language programs during the summertime are a great opportunity for students who have already started gaining skills through classes or through a mission, who maybe are busy fall and winter semester but who see a benefit of continuing to improve and hopefully use those language skills in their future,” Mayo said.