Global Education Opportunities Continue to Grow at Kent State Stark
It’s one thing to get to visit a location new to you. It’s another to explore your academic field in a different nation. Studying abroad is one of the most exciting, invigorating and challenging things you can do while in college.
For two 5X at Stark students, the chance to study overseas has become closer to reality. Megan Stocker of Louisville and Zachary Cino of Hartville were two of three winners of $1,000 each in scholarships to study abroad. They won as a result of their participation in the Run the World 5K Stark on April 15 that brought more than 150 runners to the inaugural event.
Pictured left to right: Sarah Schmidt, Megan Stocker, Dr. Kim Garchar, Dr. Denise Seachrist and Dr. Bathi Kasturiarachi.
“Studying abroad is a life-changing and enriching experience. This is one of the many reasons we continue to build our global education program,” said Kent State Stark Dean Denise A. Seachrist, Ph.D. “More than 120 of our students have studied abroad in the last two years, and we expect that number to grow. We are thrilled Megan and Zachary will be able to take part in this experience.”
Stocker, a junior nursing major, works as an emergency room technician at Aultman Hospital in Canton. She will study at 5X’s Florence Health Institute (FHI) in Florence, Italy, this summer. The FHI is an opportunity for students who are pursuing a career in public health, nursing, medicine, pharmacy or any related field to study the impacts of their field through an international lens.
Cino is a freshman majoring in technical and applied studies with a concentration in computer technology. He is interested in studying at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.
Run the World has now awarded a total of $21,000 in scholarship funds to students since its inception three years ago, according to Kristin Stasiowski, assistant dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for 5X’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“Students have come from throughout our multicampus university and around the world in support of study abroad scholarships,” Stasiowski said. “The RTW team is proud to be part of such a university-wide effort to support our students in any way possible, making them global citizens for the world of tomorrow.”
The inaugural Run the World 5K Stark was organized by Kent State Stark, colleges within 5X and the Office of Global Education to raise money for study abroad student scholarships.
A third winner, Jessica Cassidy, is a senior communications studies major attending the Kent campus.