Courtney Hill, a civil engineering and Honors College student, has been using her summers to see the world. Courtney has traveled to Belize and Denmark, and this summer, she’ll be heading to South Africa as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates through the University of Virginia. In Africa, Courtney will conduct research in the Limpopo Province concerning water quality, malnutrition and enteric disease in the area as well as point of use water treatment.
We interviewed Courtney to learn more about her experiences:
Q: Tell us about your study abroad experiences in Belize and Denmark.
After my freshman year, I spent three weeks working with interdisciplinary teams of agriculture, business and engineering students from U of A on various projects in Dangriga, Belize. I primarily worked with the engineering students to build an outdoor classroom, or “palapa”, for a local high school. I also had the opportunity to co-lead a group that installed a basic PVC water spigot for an elementary school nearby.
During the summer following my sophomore year I traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark for 8 weeks studying sustainable business practice and the European wind turbine cluster. The classes were taught by professionals working in their teaching field and included one-of-a-kind field trips and a study tour. During the field trips I got to test drive an electric car and climb a wind turbine. Our wind turbine class took a week-long study tour to various cities in Norway and had the privilege of hearing from leaders of non-profits, research centers, and companies working with wind energy. We were also given a day to climb fjords in Norway.
Q: Do you have any fun, strange or interesting memories to share?
During a three-day weekend in Denmark a group of us took a trip to London. We were determined to make the trip as cheap as possible, which always results in some memorable moments. The hostel that we stayed in had bunk beds three beds high and somehow I wound up at the top. In 48 hours we toured Westminster Abbey, watched the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, rode a double decked bus through Oxford Street, had tea time in Hyde Park, saw the Lion King on the West End, took a picture at platform 9 3/4, and rode the London Eye. We flew out of London at 7 AM so instead of paying for another night at the hostel we took a midnight train to the airport and that night I slept seven hours on the floor with my backpack as a pillow.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from studying in different countries?
Studying abroad has taught me first and foremost to understand that just because Americans do something one way, this is not necessarily the only acceptable way. Learning about the health care system in Denmark and the availability for paternity leave there was an eye opener for me. Belize really gave me perspective on my own life and how what I might consider a need is actually a want.
Q: What’s been your favorite on-campus experience as an engineering student?
Being involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers has been a great way to get to know older students and feel a sense of belonging in my department. I’ve been involved since the beginning of my Sophomore year and have reaped only benefits from being part of such a fun organization.
Q: What advice would you give a student who is interested in study abroad?
There are funding opportunities out there, it just takes some time on Google. Studying abroad does cost a lot, but there are scholarships specific to study abroad that have few applicants because not very many students want to search for them. If you are a good study and have a passion for what you want to study, there is probably a scholarship for you. (Courtney traveled to Belize with the help of the College of Engineering scholarship, and her trip to Denmark was supported by a grant from the Honors College.)
Q: What are you looking forward to about your trip to South Africa?
I am so excited to learn how to conduct research in an interdisciplinary setting and learning how to research health related to water quality in general. I would like to further research this kind of topic in graduate school and this experience is my first big step toward that goal. I also can’t wait to learn about the culture.