Calling all HogsAbroad! The Office of Study Abroad is celebrating the life-changing opportunities that international education has provided U of A students and alumni. In celebration of 150 years of dedication to Arkansas and determination to build a better world, the Office of Study Abroad is actively collecting stories from study abroad alumni to showcase the meaningful impact that study abroad has had on their lives. 

The stories, already accumulating on the @hogsabroad Instagram account, will be used as part of the university's sesquicentennial celebration, informing and inspiring students interested in future international opportunities.

"We want to show our campus exactly what Study Abroad can mean for a person, and we feel like our past and current travelers are the best voice for that message," said Sarah Malloy, Director of Study Abroad and International Exchange.  

The Office of Study Abroad is asking faculty, staff and alumni to show their support for study abroad by creating a social media post that tells a story about their personal connection to study abroad. The goal of this project is to mimic Humans of New York style storytelling and to increase dialogue and interest around studying abroad. This campaign is currently accepting submissions and will launch on campus Instagram and social media accounts in September 2021.

To participate in the Humans of #hogsabroad project, use the submission form to share a photo — either from your study abroad location or a current photo of yourself holding your passport. The process allows you to easily share a story about your study abroad experience. "Study Abroad will take care of the rest," said Veronica Mobley, Assistant Director of Outreach and International Service-Learning. "We built this process to be quick and fun for participants. The form should take under 10 minutes to complete — including the few moments you take to reflect on your favorite moments from abroad!" 

While travel has been limited during COVID-19, there are current and future programs available that can provide life-changing experiences for U of A students, both in-person and virtually, Malloy said. "We want to remind our campus community that Study Abroad programs across the globe, as well as our Rome Center, provide benefits that last a lifetime. We hope this campaign will highlight what we already know to be true: that study abroad is an exceptionally relevant high-impact practice that is accessible to all U of A students."   

About the Office of Study Abroad & International Exchange: The mission of Study Abroad and International Exchange is to facilitate opportunities to prepare University of Arkansas students to live and succeed in a global society. Study abroad enables students to develop critical skills needed to compete in today's global economy, including foreign language fluency, strong problem-solving and analytical capability, a tolerance for ambiguity, and cross-cultural competence. National studies show a positive correlation between students who study abroad and higher grade point averages and degree completion rates.