Art history, anthropology

“Studying abroad in Viterbo demanded that I look at myself honestly. I came to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and to further shape my ambitions.”

What does it take to broaden one’s horizons? At Goucher, that means choosing from more than 60 study abroad programs in more than 30 countries that take students from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the now-accessible streets of Cuba.

“I achieved my dream of becoming a global citizen,” says Madison Salvino ’18, a humanities major studying art, music, and environmental and Italian studies in Viterbo, a medieval walled city north of Rome.

“Studying abroad in Viterbo demanded that I look at myself honestly,” says Salvino. “I came to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and to further shape my ambitions.”

Getting students out in the world to not only better understand different cultural dynamics, but also grasp their own internal geographies is the reason why in 2006 Goucher became the first liberal arts college in the nation to require all undergraduates study abroad at least once before graduation. Goucher’s study abroad program, which is supported by the Greater Goucher Fund, is top-ranked by The Princeton Review, and is a U.S. Student Fulbright Program Top Producer for 2017-18.

By acquiring a passport to overseas learning, Goucher students get to explore different ways of thinking, communicating, working, learning, and living. These experiences not only complement their academic life at Goucher but can also greatly influence post-graduation opportunities.

“I was able to come back with a perspective that was ever evolving, that challenges prejudice, and that finds ways to use my talents to give back in meaningful ways,” says Salvino. “I am now more humbled than ever, and have found the greatest strength in that.”