Wofford College

More than 30 international travel opportunities were available to Wofford students during the 2026 January Interim, including faculty-led programs and experiences offered through study abroad partners. Here are five snapshots from around the globe during Interim.

Margeaux Stapleton '26 is researching how cultural practices and traditions around birth impact outcomes for preterm babies and special needs children across three continents.

Joslyn Taylor '27 used to scroll TikTok for hours watching "day in the life" videos of students studying abroad. Now she's sharing her own as an IES Abroad correspondent in Barcelona, Spain. Taylor, a sociology and anthropology major and government minor from Summerville, South Carolina, was chosen from a pool of 162 applicants to blog about her semester overseas for a national audience.

A professor in Australia challenged Wofford students Lilly Bridges '26, Archer Meares '26 and Strom Thurmond '26 to write and publish an article on the conservation of a specific bird species. Getting the article published turned out to be the easy part. The real challenge was the rain-drenched search for the declining species and the sense of responsibility the trio of biology majors now carry to help tell the story of the threatened but resilient tooth-billed bowerbird.

Tianna Kidd '25, a biology and French double major from Greenwood, South Carolina, is using French to study fashion and identity in Africa this fall as Wofford's 2024-25 Presidential International Scholar. Kidd is currently based in Cameroon, with plans to travel to Morocco in January. She also has conducted a second independent study on breast cancer awareness in Cameroon. Each year Wofford's Presidential International Scholar is selected by the college's president as "the student most likely to make a difference in the future." The scholarship rewards students who have shown a passion for service learning and global intellectual curiosity with the funding to conduct independent research in non-traditional locations around the world.

Julia Richardson '24 followed her fascination for religious traditions to Vietnam in January. In the Land of the Blue Dragon, Richardson, a Chinese, philosophy and religious studies major from Moore, South Carolina, found inspiration for her future academic pursuits. "I plan on pursuing a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies, and I have research interests surrounding Buddhism in the contemporary world," Richardson says. "The temples I saw and experienced in Vietnam strengthened these interests."

Mariella Stine '25 learned a lot about herself while studying in Granada, Spain, during the spring 2023 semester. The most important lesson was that she could stand on her own. "The independence of going abroad and participating in a program where there weren't a lot of Wofford students was a good thing for me," says Stine, a Spanish and studio art double major from Sandy Springs, Georgia. "Now that I am back, my perspective about the challenges I face here is different, too. If I could handle going to another country for five months on my own, I can handle this."

Simon Holland '25 and Katie Sullivan '25 spent their summers with ROTC cadets from across the United States fine-tuning their understanding of languages critical to the United States military. Holland, an international affairs major from Columbia, South Carolina, studied Arabic in Jordan. Sullivan, a Chinese and international affairs double major from Norfolk, Virginia, studied Chinese in Taiwan. Both participated in Project Global Officer (Project GO), an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office.

Kaitlyn McCoy '26 didn't just study ancient Egyptian history in January. She lived it. McCoy was part of the Egypt: Temples, Tombs and Ancient Egyptian Religion course. The study abroad opportunity was part of a pilot program offering departmental courses during Interim. The course was taught by Dr. Jessica Tomkins, assistant professor of history, and counted as a general education course. "We learned about the gods that were worshipped, the kings who served and the architecture built in honor of the kings and gods at the time," says McCoy, a biology major from Greensboro, North Carolina. "What was so unique about this experience was having the opportunity to learn about a specific temple or tomb of a king while standing inside it."

For Kate Timbes '23, studying in another country was not the most exciting part of her experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio art major from Columbia, South Carolina, was given the opportunity to become a part of the media team for the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) and a chance to paint a mural on the wall of their student hub. They started planning the mural in October 2021 and painting began two months later. While working on the mural, Timbes led a group of 10 to 15 individuals from the community who helped her during her 10 days of work.

Seventy-five Wofford College students are studying abroad during the fall semester, and a few are offering insights on their experiences through blogs. Ten students are blogging, and it's proven to be a good exercise for them to journal and help the college's faculty and staff identify challenges students might experience.

Forty students are spending the Spring 2020 semester away from Wofford College as part of the study abroad program.

Wofford students spend Fall 2019 studying abroad.

Several Wofford students are studying abroad or participating in internships during summer 2019.

Seventy students are spending the Spring 2019 semester away from Wofford College as part of the study abroad program.

Wofford's Interim is a time for exploration and experiential learning outside of the traditional classroom. Students may choose from a variety of on-campus courses, professional internships and research projects, study abroad opportunities or their own independent study project, approved and guided by a faculty adviser. More than 250 students chose to study abroad during Interim 2019.

Sixty-four students are spending the Fall 2018 semester away from Wofford College as part of the study abroad program.

Wofford College students study abroad during Summer 2018.

Wofford's Interim is a time for exploration and experiential learning away from the rigors of traditional academic courses for students and faculty alike. Students may choose from a variety of on-campus courses, professional internships and research projects, study abroad opportunities or their own independent study project, approved and guided by a faculty adviser. More than 200 students chose to study abroad during Interim 2018.

52 students are spending the Spring 2018 semester away from Wofford College as part of the study abroad program.

Several Wofford students are participating in independent study Interims while traveling abroad during January.

90 students are spending the Fall 2017 semester away from Wofford College as part of the study abroad program.

Study abroad is a major component of Wofford's commitment to shaping globally-connected citizens. Since 2007, over 2200 students have studied in 70 countries on seven continents. Opportunities range from travel/study Interim projects to a full-year at a university abroad. Cocurricular options include service-learning, internships, and cultural excursions.

Three Wofford students presented at the annual North Carolina Association of International Educators conference held March 20, 2017.

Study abroad is a major component of Wofford's commitment to shaping globally connected citizens. Opportunities range from travel/study Interim projects to a full-year at a university abroad. Students may choose from more than 200 programs and 59 countries. Co-curricular opportunities include service learning, internships and cultural excursions.

A number of Wofford students have chosen to study California landscapes during Interim 2017.

Wofford's Interim is a time for exploration and experiential learning away from the rigors of traditional academic courses for students and faculty alike. Students may choose from a variety of on-campus courses, professional internships and research projects, study abroad opportunities or their own independent study project, approved and guided by a faculty advisor. More than 200 students chose to study abroad during Interim 2017.

Study abroad is a major component of Wofford's commitment to shaping globally connected citizens. Opportunities range from travel/study Interim projects to a full-year at a university abroad. Students may choose from more than 200 programs and 59 countries. Co-curricular opportunities include service learning, internships and cultural excursions.

Several Wofford College students are studying abroad and/or participating in internships during the summer of 2016.

Three Wofford students recently presented at the Lessons From Abroad Georgia Returnee Conference at Agnes Scott College