30 By 30: One Student’s Goal To See the World
Most students choose a college based on academic quality and affordability. Avonlea Brown was driven by a different question: What university would help her see the world?
Most students choose a college based on academic quality and affordability. Avonlea Brown, meanwhile, a senior broadcasting, digital media and journalism major at Cedarville University, was driven by a different question: What university would help her see the world?
Having grown up in Southwest Harbor, Maine, a tiny community just outside Acadia National Park, Brown did not discover her love for travel until her junior year in high school. Brown’s first international excursion, a mission trip, took her to Namibia in Africa.
Learning about and experiencing Namibian culture ignited a passion in Brown to travel the globe. Her newfound love of world cultures fit nicely with her chosen career in journalism. Being a journalist, in Brown’s mind, would allow her to pursue her love of writing while visiting other countries.
“Travel reminds me that there is so much more out there in the world, so many opportunities, so many things to learn,” said Brown.
While searching for a university, Brown discovered Cedarville. It was Cedarville’s academic quality, affordability, and Christian worldview that attracted her to enroll. And its study abroad program was the final element in her college decision.
Brown wasted no time in studying abroad, choosing to participate in a May term in Ireland following her freshman year. Studying intercultural communication in Ireland showed Brown the value of learning through interacting within a cultural context.
After returning to Cedarville, Brown looked for other opportunities to study abroad. She quickly discovered a journalism program in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, where she studied during the second semester of her junior year.
“Learning journalism from renowned professors in a different culture gives you an entirely new perspective on the field of journalism,” Brown said.
While studying in Prague, Brown pursued her goal of visiting 30 countries by her 30thbirthday. During her second study abroad experience, she visited several countries near the Czech Republic including Denmark, Romania, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary, bringing her total of countries visited to 13.
"In each country I visit, I want to learn as much as I can about their culture and way of life. There’s so much to be gained by immersing yourself in another way of life.”
Now in her senior year at Cedarville University, Brown is ready to pursue a career in journalism that will allow her to see the world.
Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.