Parent Jennifer Newsom tells what it was like for her to
send her first born off to discover the world in Europe.
Sending my first-born baby girl off to Rome, Italy for a
semester abroad had to be one of the hardest things I have ever
done. Her father and I knew it would be the best thing we could do
for her; both from an educational point of view and for her own
personal growth. I have done some traveling and know the impact it
has had on my overall growth as a person and more importantly on my
expanded view of our world as a place that’s greater than the world
I previously knew. I want my children to experience the world;
to expand their minds within and beyond their own front
door.
As a mother, academic advisor and now as Associate Director of
the University Freshman Center at St. John’s University, I have
seen the difference that studying abroad makes in student’s lives.
The Freshman Center advises around 3,000 first-year students.
Through an ongoing personal relationship, we get to know our kids
pretty well. I have seen immature sophomore students go abroad and
return smarter, worldlier, and more aware of culture differences
and similarities. St. John’s University is aware of the
benefits of studying abroad, and afforded my daughter the
opportunity to spread her wings and study abroad in Rome for a
semester. I knew that she would be: a) safe; b) challenged in
ways she had never been before; and c) that she would realize on
her own that she would become a different person.
Kristen came home with new skills, life long friendships, and a
different global perspective. For example, when she left, she
could not cook. The residence was apartment style, where
several students lived together. The students had a kitchen. Each
student contributed to the week’s groceries and took turns cooking
for each other. I will never forget how excited she was when she
called me after cooking her first Italian meal. On top of
that, her roommates enjoyed it! She and her roommates still keep in
touch and often meet in the city to have dinner and hang out.
Kristen visited over ten countries during her semester abroad.
She will tell you that while the people, customs and cultures in
each country were different (and sometimes strange), they were
happy and thankful to be having the experience. She and her
roommates made a pact to find the commonalities in people wherever
they traveled and to honor those commonalities. When they did
this, they found that people were friendly and receptive to
them. To honor me she went to Greece, and stood on the same
spot as I had 12 years earlier.
Now it is time to send her sister out of the nest and discover
the world. I’m sure thru St. John’s, she will also have a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.