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I Am Study Abroad

CGIS is the study abroad office for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) and the largest study abroad office on campus. CGIS provides undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds a variety of global learning opportunities.

LSA is committed to providing support to students with demonstrated financial need and each year offers over $1.7 million in LSA funds for LSA students on CGIS programs. Start planning your study abroad experience today. Visit us in G155 Angell Hall.

The I Am Study Abroad campaign features students of various races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, academic majors, and on-campus involvements who studied abroad with the Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS).

The stories of these students remind us that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you’re studying, a study abroad experience is available to you at Michigan.

CGIS creates high-quality, accessible international experiences for all students. A good example is our Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) program. In 2015, over 50% of the students participating in GIEU programs were Pell Grant recipients. In 2016, that number rose to over 75% thanks to ongoing support from units such as CSP, OFA, and the LSA Scholarship Office. Beyond socioeconomic diversity, GIEU students have also been racially diverse, with 58% of last summer's cohort being students of color (22% Asian/Asian American, 28% African American/Black, 7% Hispanic/Latino, 5% Multiracial). Working in diverse teams prior to and upon return from an experience abroad is an integral part of the program's curriculum and its effectiveness in fostering intercultural skill building.

Sam

“Studying abroad as a gay man wasn't always easy. I faced unique challenges in each country I visited. But would I do it again? Absolutely! I learned that the harder situations are the ones that can teach you the most about yourself, and that even through the difficulties, you can have incredibly rewarding and worthwhile experiences.”

Sam is an International Studies and Romance Languages major who studied abroad on the Advanced Spanish Language in Buenos Aires program. This photo was taken on the glacier in El Calafate, Patagonia.

Adelia

“I realized that I didn't know much about history other than European history . . . I didn't know much about minority history, especially my own as a black woman . . .
I want to go into psychiatry and I want to help underrepresented people explore their potential and explore themselves and really take pride in who they are.”

Adelia is a Neuroscience major who studied abroad on the GCC South Africa program. This photo was taken in Mamelodi, a township outside of Pretoria, South Africa.

Khari

"Study abroad has always been an important dream of mine, but I never saw it as attainable. Inner city kids, we usually aren’t introduced to things like that early on. But my mom introduced us to people of diverse backgrounds in our home as we grew up, so study abroad remained important to me because of that upbringing."

Khari is an International Studies major who studied abroad on the Spanish 230 in Granada, Spain program. This photo was taken in Seville, Spain.