Honors students share study abroad experiences

Sociology major Jose Trucio and international finance major Carlos Gomez

Bloomfield College honors students Carlos Gomez and Jose Trucios regaled the Honors Program students with stories of their semester abroad experiences.

Gomez, an international finance major, spent the fall 2012 semester in France while Trucios, a sociology/criminal justice major, enjoyed Spain. Gomez studied in Annecy, France, located on the eastern border by Switzerland. He participated in an international program to fully immerse himself in the French language at the Institut Francais des Alpes. During his time there, Gomez traveled to neighboring countries with his classmates from South America, Sweden, Belgium, and Syria. He is interested in business practices in Europe and would like to bring these experiences to a corporate career in America. Now tri-lingual, Gomez anticipates continuing his education at the graduate level and as he says, “I want to break stereotypes of Hispanics in corporate America.” Gomez received the Rosemary Iversen Study Abroad Scholarship which helped to make this semester possible.

Trucios spent his semester at the University of Seville. A native Spanish speaker, he integrated easily into his classes. He took five classes in sociology and culture including religious cultures, international relations, and economics and culture. His goal was to fully immerse himself in a culture different than his own and understand the similarities and differences. He visited both Morocco and Italy during the semester and observed key differences in the way people communicated, dressed, and acted both in public and private. “Family values, especially communication, are extremely important to the Spanish,” he said. “During their siesta, families would spend the time talking rather than go off and do things on their own.” His travels were made possible by the Maureen Grant Study Abroad Scholarship and the College Consortium for International Studies. Emy Kamihara, director of the center for global studies and English for academic purposes says that the College Consortium for International Studies is highly competitive and only takes two to three students per semester nationally.

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