The Importance of Encouraging Black and Brown Students to Study Abroad
When I think about my time studying abroad in Paris, I know I honestly had the best experience I could have ever hoped for. I was able to live in a country 4,000 miles away from my home where I didn’t speak the language and was pushed out of my comfort zone while experiencing life in a beautiful city full of culture, art and history — and I am immensely proud of myself.
After reading Caroline de Maigret’s “How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are” as a 14-year-old, I became a self-identified Francophile dreaming of going to that city whose intriguing and cultural essence had been embodied in those words that I read. That dream only grew over time as I began to find a love for fashion and art, and, wanting to experience what life was like outside of the United States, I knew I wanted to study abroad as a student. I was able to fulfill both of those dreams — something not every student has the ability to do.
According to 2020-2021 data from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, although the diversity of study abroad participation in the United States has increased in recent years, minority students are still greatly underrepresented in study abroad with 68.3% of students identifying as Caucasian following 4.1% of students identifying as African American or Black, 12.3% of students who identify as Hispanic/Latine American and 10% of students who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. Research has examined motivations and barriers to studying abroad, particularly for racial/ethnic minority students and other underrepresented student groups. Barriers to studying abroad include cost, financial aid restrictions, family and community influences, lack of awareness and concerns about on-time graduation.
Studying abroad is an immersive experience that not only allows students to gain a global perspective, practice their language and cultural competency skills, but it positively impacts other dimensions of a student, such as student engagement, independence, perseverance and confidence. Also, according to research by Laura C. Engel, associate professor of international education and international affairs at George Washington University, the impacts of study abroad on racial/ethnic minority students include higher graduation and retention rates. "Minority students who studied abroad had higher four-year graduation rates. Similarly, in research at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 64 percent of study abroad participants graduated in four years, whereas 41 percent of non-study abroad students did not. Similarly, 90 percent of study abroad participants graduated in five years, compared with 58.6 percent of non-study abroad participants. The correlation between study abroad and graduation rate was significantly strong for minority students, as well as first-generation college students," the report said.
The good news is that higher education institutions are seeking to break these barriers with targeted study abroad scholarship programs and special faculty-led programs aimed at low-income and first-generation students of color. And while I saved up funds before embarking on this three-and-a-half-months long experience, expenses add up fast when no income from a job or internship is coming in. I was very blessed and fortunate to receive scholarships from both UNC-CH's Study Abroad Office and my third-party study abroad program that helped me with the day-to-day cost of living in Paris. So to educators and parents of Black and Brown students that face barriers when it comes to studying abroad: It is an amazing, potentially transformative experience and there are resources available to help get your students there. To those who have the ability to help fund the study abroad dreams of students, I highly encourage you to do so. You could change the trajectory of someone's life and help educate the next generation of global leaders.
