Each year, the MSU Office for Education Abroad offers students the chance to travel to more than 60 countries around the world, spanning every continent. Last year, close to 2,500 students participated in over 300 programs, many of them focused on the skills and principles of community engagement.

Bella Gasaway, a journalism major who participated in the Community Engagement, Society and Culture program in Belize, said that the experience changed her life. “Through acts of service and interactions with the local community, I was able to get a clear view of what it means to uplift a community without taking on a 'savior complex' and experience life firsthand for a Belizean student.”

Gasaway and her fellow students volunteered during MSU's spring break at the Santa Elena Primary School, a Catholic school that enrolls children ages 4-14. In addition to exploring Belizean cultural heritage sites and learning at the local Maya co-op, she spent the week partnering with the school to teach math, phonics, and more to children ages 7-9, which she said was particularly impactful for her. “I got to know each of my 21 students personally and was able to make special connections with that group of students that I hope will stay strong even years from now.”

By building relationships with community organizations in this way, students in community engagement experiences abroad come to new and unique perspectives, which can change the way they see the world. “I am truly not exaggerating when I say that my service learning changed my life, both academically and personally,” Gasaway said.

“As a student, I learned how to better connect with my work … and find further success in my academics. Through my personal life, my service learning has made me much more aware of the luxuries I have in my life that I take for granted. For example, I never truly realized how lucky I was to have access to clean water and fresh food every day; for many Belizeans, these are difficult commodities to come by. Knowing that I have nearly constant access to these necessities has made me all the more appreciative of the life that I have.”

If there is one thing Gasaway would tell her fellow MSU students, it would be to take the leap. “You definitely won't forget it,” she said. “I would absolutely recommend this program to any student that is interested in studying abroad—even for just a short time. I never thought that studying community engagement and service learning could not only be so interesting, but also so rewarding to the student and create relationships that will last a lifetime.”