During a sail from Fiji to Palau, Emily Keefer ’27 remembers evenings on the water with the sun dropping low over the open ocean. As the night approached, someone would pull out a guitar, and Keefer, along with her friends, would sing along to Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan while watching the stars. “We did not have access to our phones or TV, so we were just living in that moment. We just chased that feeling of being alive,” Keefer said.
What Keefer described reflects the kinds of experiences many students have during their time abroad. The Education Abroad Program at Marietta College provides students with opportunities to gain global perspectives, explore new cultures, and advance cross-cultural communication skills. The program encourages all students, regardless of their discipline, athletic commitments, or extracurricular activities, to participate in these cultural immersion experiences. Students do not need to be concerned about falling behind because they can work toward earning their degrees while abroad.
The Office of Education Abroad helps guide students in the process of studying or interning in other countries. The Ronald ’72 and Simin Shelton Rinard International Travel Grant helps students overcome the financial barriers that often make traveling abroad difficult. Students with a 3.65 GPA or higher are eligible for up to $15,000 through the Rinard Grant, helping make global experiences more accessible and affordable.
Global Education Peer Advisor, Colin Campagne ’27, said, “The Rinard Grant opens horizons for students and makes it a lot more affordable. It allows college students the opportunity to travel abroad and helps those who have never even left the state be able to learn new cultures and widen their idea of the world.”
Students have several opportunities to study abroad throughout the year. There are semester-long programs offered in the fall and spring which typically run for about 19 weeks. During the winter break, students can participate in short programs that last about four weeks. Summer study abroad options are divided into multiple sessions, each ranging from three to five weeks.
Bella Williams ’27 participated in the Summer 2026 Food Studies and Sociology session in Rome, Italy. She completed the first two summer sessions through the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), which partners with Marietta College to offer faculty-approved international coursework for which students can earn credit.
During her first term abroad, Williams described going on six different field trips, the very first being to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), which works with the United Nations (UN). “We saw all these different conference rooms where they discussed the food and agriculture of all the countries in the UN and how they set regulations, which was such an eye-opening experience,” Williams said. Beyond her coursework, she spent time tasting new foods and exploring local markets packed with fresh produce, small coffee shops, and pizzerias.
Ian Alspaugh ’27 and Carson Long ’28 both studied abroad in Cambridge, England, during Summer 2026. Alspaugh participated in the University of Richmond’s law program, which is part of Emmanuel College in Cambridge. He describes his favorite moment from his study abroad experience as his weekend trip to London.
“London is one of the coolest places I have ever been to in my life. I love cities and getting to see one of the largest and multicultural cities in the entire world was such a great opportunity,” Alspaugh said.
Long was also at Emmanuel College in Cambridge where he studied comparative criminal law and foundations of modern law. Through the Rinard Grant, he was able to go to Wales and explore Snowdonia, which he said was beautiful. Long describes his whole study abroad trip as “wonderfully memorable” and something he recommends to everyone.
These students represent just a few of those who have received the Rinard Grant and studied abroad at Marietta College, but the opportunity awaits all students. Campagne encouraged students interested in studying abroad to start the process early and not be afraid to ask for help.
“My biggest advice is do it alone, do it scared, and do it anyways because studying abroad changes your life. We want to get students abroad and we want to make sure they are having a global education because it genuinely changes lives,” Campagne said.
Students who are interested in education abroad and want to learn more can stop by the Global and Experiential Education Office at Milone Center 148 or email cmc014@marietta.edu.