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COTR students taking part in international experiences
Two students will spend a semester in Andorra; eight others to spend a week in Ireland
Ten College of the Rockies students will have the chance to enhance their intercultural skills by taking their studies abroad.
Bachelor of Business Administration: Sustainable Business Practices students Daniel Denegri Estrada and Sarah Clarricoates, will be attending the University of Andorra thanks to an agreement between the college and the university. The university, located in the European Principality of Andorra, situated between France and Spain, has signed an agreement with the college which permits students to complete a semester of classes at the university and then transfer those credits back to their college degree program.
Denegri Estrada and Clarricoates are the second and third college business students to spend a semester in Andorra. Andrew Crozier took part in the experience in 2019 and feels it has enhanced his world view and his career opportunities.
“Getting to travel and see the world outside of Cranbrook is so valuable and it opens up so many opportunities when you get back,” he said.
College Dean of Business and University Arts and Sciences Darrell Bethune believes these semester abroad opportunities can have a positive impact on the individuals who take part in them, and on their future careers.
“The world is increasingly interconnected. In order to be successful in a business career in today’s world, individuals need to be culturally competent and globally aware,” he said. “There’s no better way to achieve this than to immerse oneself into a new cultural experience. These semesters abroad will help these students to grow as individuals, and enhance their employment prospects after they graduate.”
Denegri Estrada, who previously took part in a college-sponsored two-week field school opportunity in Tanzania, is looking forward to spending an entire semester abroad.
“Spending an entire semester in Andorra is a fantastic opportunity to actually integrate myself in another culture,” he said. “Because the university there has exchange programs with a lot of other countries, it’s also a chance to meet people from all over Europe.”
Also in February, eight Practical Nursing students will be heading to Ireland for a week-long field trip. While there, they will interact with nursing students and instructors at the Athlone Institute of Technology, observe nursing practice in a variety of settings, and explore similarities and differences in geriatric and end-of-life care in Canada and Ireland.
“Taking part in this extraordinary field trip allows our Practical Nursing students to expand their global awareness and to gain a better understanding of the role of nurses as partners in global health,” said Heather Hepworth, Dean of Health and Human Services. “Students will have opportunity to appreciate the impact nurses have on people’s experience of health in the face of increasingly complex global health challenges and issues.”
Practical Nursing student Jenny Arts is excited about the opportunity to learn, first-hand, about nursing practices in a different country.
“Ireland has an aging population, just like Canada, so it will be interesting to see how their health care system manages that,” she said. “Seeing a different approach to health care will help me to develop and improve my own practice as a student nurse, and as a future LPN. My fellow students and I are excited for this opportunity.”
Learn more about College of the Rockies’ BBA and Practical Nursing programs at: cotr.ca/programs
Lead image: College of the Rockies’ Bachelor of Business Administration: Sustainable Business Practices students Daniel Denegri Estrada and Sarah Clarricoates are excited to be travelling to the micro-state of Andorra where they will spend a semester at the University of Andorra. COTR photo
