50 Arizona State University Students Participate In Fully Funded Study Abroad Program

All these students are in Arizona State University's Early Start program. Under this, they got the opportunity to study abroad during the winter break.

Study in US: 50 Arizona State University students got the opportunity to participate in the two-week immersion study abroad program during the winter break. These students are part of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' Early Start program which helps incoming first-year students to get the tools needed for their successful college career.

These students got to study culture, history and sustainability in one of the world's most ecologically diverse regions — Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Aaliyah Washington, an Early Start participant commented, “My mom and I stayed up until midnight waiting for the applications for Costa Rica to open. When I finally got accepted, I called my mom immediately. We screamed, and she started crying because she was so happy. Because I'm a first-generation student, it’s all new for us.”

While commenting on the experience, Kamalei Pahukula, an anthropology major said, “Learning about climate change, you often learn what’s bad. Coming here and learning about what’s good — seeing it in practice, and that it’s working — was so amazing. I learned that there’s hope through sustainability. Not only to decrease the negative, but increase the positive.”

Maria Vargas Cesario said, “I’ve never traveled internationally before. I didn’t even have a passport before going to Costa Rica, and ASU helped me get it. This was my first time leaving the country. I’d never been to an airport or packed a suitcase other than for my dorm room.”

ASU Connects Younger, Older Generations To Ease Loneliness

New initiatives at ASU under the Friendship Bench encouraged younger people to talk to the older ones about just anything.

Culiver, who is a resident of Mirabella at ASU, the high-rise retirement community on the Tempe campus commented, “I find it energizing, and I feel like I’m helping them. One girl told me, ‘I’ve only been here 15 minutes, but I feel so much better. I think there are kids who are lonely and don’t have anybody to talk to. They feel like they’re talking to their grandma.”

Karshmer, who also is dean of the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation said, “We know that one thing that happens, and was exacerbated during COVID, was that our students are feeling isolated. The Friendship Bench is a really important thing that says to the community that being able to have a connection with somebody and feeling that you belong on campus is part of your well-being.”

Read more:

• Studying Abroad Helps Students Connect In Purposeful Ways: Lynn University
• Study In UK: Apply SOON At Ithaca College London For Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 Intakes