This summer in a posh district of London, senior Katie Moore helped stage a photo shoot under the guidance of couture hat designer Louis Mariette.
The shoot was part of Moore’s internship with Mariette, who is a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model, the English equivalent to the American show. She received course credit toward her fashion merchandising degree for her three weeks there.
“I grew up in Atlanta and never met any celebrities, but I was completely in my element and completely challenged,” she said. “It was great, but even just being in London doing anything would’ve been worth it. It was life changing. That sounds like a cliché, but it was.”
Moore found the job through a study-abroad program run by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. The Office of International Education, which is hoping to place even more students in offices and classrooms overseas, is currently preparing to host the annual Study, Work and Travel Abroad Fair.
Celebrating its 25th year, the fair runs
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in Tate Hall on the fifth floor of the Tate Student Center Expansion.
The fair plays host to more than 90 vendors offering overseas opportunities. Many booths showcase UGA programs, but students also can find study-abroad programs through other institutions or third-party programs that work with local universities in destination countries, both of which can offer transfer credit that students can apply towards a UGA degree.
Other opportunities, like overseas internships (both paid and unpaid), volunteer groups such as the Peace Corps and travel agents also will be on hand.
The fair’s changed during its tenure, moving from one day to two, offering a much wider variety of options and, most recently, being held earlier in the semester, said Kasee Laster, director of study abroad.
“We’re holding the fair earlier at the request of UGA programs that want people to think about study-abroad options before advising for spring semester,” she said. “We have programs that run in the summer, the spring and the fall now, so students who need to can start planning early.”
In addition, four student scholarships will be awarded. Two $2,500 scholarships made possible by the President’s Venture Fund will be given to the winners of an OIE essay contest judged by three faculty members. Another two $1,000 scholarships from Merial Limited, a worldwide animal health company, also will be awarded.
Last year, more than 2,725 students attended the fair. Many went on to take classes or work across all seven continents.
“As a destination, Asia is the fastest growing, it’s gone from a small part of the program to a major chunk,” Laster said. “We still want to send more students to Africa. About half of our students who study abroad go to Western Europe, and about half of the rest go to Latin America.”
Different programs offer different features, so the fair is an excellent chance to find the best fit for each student. The fair will feature programs available to appeal to a wide variety of majors, including pre-professional programs, laboratory sciences and business as well as liberal arts and social sciences.
“Programs that have a service-learning component are very popular,” Laster said. “Anything that has a chance for students to do hands-on work is always popular.”
As for Moore, her experience with a British hat maker became a catalyst for both personal and professional growth.
“He runs a business, but he’s a very creative type. It made me realize that I’m more creative, but also that you need to have both traits,” she said. “It made me realize I really do need to grow up. I can’t do just one thing.”
For more information, visit the OIE online at www.uga.edu/oie.
