LU Send holds annual Student Travel Fair

LU Send held its annual Student Travel Fair Sept. 4-5 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Montview Student Union, providing students with information about studying abroad, internships and travel opportunities.  

Anastasia Kingsley, the associate director of study abroad, said that the fair is for both residential and online students currently studying at Liberty University.  The goal of the fair is to inform students of an opportunity to explore other places. 

“It (the event) is really to create interest and get students started in the process of traveling during their time at Liberty,” Kingsley said. 

Kingsley said she had been planning the fair since the end of the spring semester and arranged the event during the summer.   

 The fair showcased many study abroad opportunities offered through LU Send. 

“There are 60 to 70 different countries,” Kingsley said. “Our short-term trips go to specific locations. … We’ve got trips going to Costa Rica, Spain, Jordan, Japan and South Korea, but that’s just a small sampling because our study abroad programs encompass a lot more locations than that,” Kingsley said.  

In addition to study abroad programs, LU Send offers group travel and international internships. Kingsley said LU Send provides an extraordinary opportunity for students to travel and use what they learn outside of the classroom.  

“We have a lot of service opportunities as well on our trips,” Kingsley said.  “Being able to serve a local church overseas and seeing different Christian communities overseas can open our eyes to different perspectives within our faith. Students might not have the chance to travel for an extended amount of time after they graduate college.” 

According to Kinglsey, about 95% of LU Send’s programs allow students to obtain academic credit. 

“We want students to be able to take what they’re learning in their major or minor but be able to study it overseas and, at the same time, stay on track for graduation,” Kingsley said.  

From a cultural standpoint, Kingsley wants students to move out of the comfort of their home at Liberty and experience life beyond the confines of a dorm. 

“Learning how to listen and engage well with others is such an important tool in today’s world,” Kingsley said. “Even if you come back and spend the rest of your life in the U.S., you’re always going to encounter people that have different perspectives and different beliefs. Going abroad is a great way to learn how to listen and engage well with people.” 

For more information, visit https://www.liberty.edu/osd/lu-send/. 

Amaro-Millán is a news writer for the Liberty Champion.