Assata Davis studied abroad this academic year in Spain and France, but her spring semester was cut short due to COVID-19. In the Confessions from (Study) Abroad Blog, a student-run blog coordinated by Rutgers Global, Assata posts a video where she shares the moments leading up to her journey back to the U.S.
Coming to America: Leaving Study Abroad During COVID-19
"The 2019-2020 Academic year will always be special to me because of study abroad. Since before I attended college I had always known that I wanted to study abroad in Spain, but I had never expected to end up studying in France, too. However, thanks to a compelling suggestion from the study abroad office, I ended up having my fall semester in Spain and the spring semester at SciencesPo in France afterward. This decision required me to embrace situations outside of my control. I didn’t speak any French, I was the only Rutgers student on the Menton campus, and I had to find my own apartment. But as I went through this experience I kept learning that obstacles I originally would shy away from, became opportunities to challenge myself. I will always look back at this year with pride over how much I grew as a person and how I have improved at managing unexpected situations. This lesson continued when my program was suddenly cut short due to concerns about the COVID-19 crisis. While making the decision to leave was difficult, it was nowhere near as hard as getting out of Europe. This video is part one, which covers the moments leading up to my journey back to the United States. Part two (coming soon) will show my efforts to get back home."