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During spring 2012, Hannah traveled to Quito, Ecuador, with BCA and SMU Abroad to study international politics, economic development and social justice in Latin America. The senior President’s Scholar majoring in political science in Dedman College and accounting in the Cox School was among students and faculty members who shared their experiences on the SMU Adventures blog.

During a February trip to the Galapagos Islands, Hannah wrote:

“Due to the program’s focus on sustainability, local development, and indigenous rights, we always try to focus our spending on local initiatives owned by long-term residents of the places we visit. We got the real picture of the Galapagos – a picture of a community struggling to find the balance between the profit-earning industry of tourism and the preservation of local wildlife and culture.

“There are few places on Earth with as much beauty and mystery as the Galapagos, and the unique experience to live among its people for a week will undoubtedly remain one of the greatest privileges of my life. Yes, the beaches are beautiful, and you must see the turtles, but the hidden gems of the islands are truly its people and its traditions.”

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Thousands of miles away in the Czech Republic, Annamarie attended the highly competitive Film and Television School in Prague, with the CET Film Production Program and SMU Abroad. The senior Distinguished Scholar majoring in film and media arts in Meadows School of the Arts and psychology in Dedman College wrote on her blog in April:

“This past week we completed all of our core classes, so the majority of our time is being spent either in our elective courses or in group meetings, where we are finalizing our scripts, working on storyboards, talking with our production manager, and getting everything ready for our upcoming shoot. As the director of photography/cinematographer in my group, my main responsibility right now is storyboarding and composing a shot list. We shoot in just 11 days, so over the next 72 hours I will be spending a lot of quality time with the script, a pen and blank sheets of paper. It is exciting and terrifying and daunting and awesome all at the same time.”

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And across Europe in Paris, Virginia (right) participated in the IES Business and International Affairs Program with SMU Abroad. The senior majoring in art history in Meadows School of the Arts, with a minor in French in Dedman College, reflected on her semester abroad as she prepared to leave the City of Light in May:

“After last week’s re-entry session to the U.S. hosted by our director at IES, we were given a list of skills that we have now acquired during our time abroad. I never really thought that I myself have changed, but reading through the list I realize that living abroad has changed who I am as a person and given me new skills and qualities. From this list, I feel that I have matured, become more independent and self-sufficient, open-minded, I can relate to many different people, communicate despite obstacles, and most importantly adapt easily to new environments. All skills I will need for this upcoming last year at SMU and the future beyond.”

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