For some students, education isn’t confined to the states.

In the summer of 2006, NIU student Bryson Lenon, a senior sociology major, traveled to Ghana for a month and attended the University of Winneba.

Lenon desired to explore his African roots, and took courses that allowed him to learn about Ghana’s native language, art and history.

“Studying in Ghana was like experiencing ‘Sankofa,’ which means to return to the place where your ancestors come from,” Lenon said.

More than 250 NIU students participate in study abroad programs worldwide every year. The most popular places to study are typically Spain, France, Austria and Italy.

The Study Abroad Office oversees all academic study abroad programs offered by NIU, and has a policy that disallows students to travel to places designated with a State Department travel warning. Designated countries include Iraq, Lebanon, Israel and Kenya.

Most students are more concerned with earning academic credit than national security alerts, said Clare Foust, outreach and programming coordinator for the Study Abroad program.

“Though we did encounter questions from students after 9/11, and again after the bombings in Madrid and London in 2004 and 2005, questions about political conflict and terrorism seem not to deter students from going abroad,” Foust said. “In some cases, a desire to better understand political conflict has led to students pursuing study abroad opportunities in countries experiencing unrest.”

Students are required to participate in a pre-departure workshop held on the NIU campus, as well as an on-site orientation in the host country at the beginning of the program. The orientation provides students answers to questions relating to health, immunization requirements and visas, among other matters of concern, Foust said.

Lenon, who earned six NIU undergraduate credit hours during his month in Ghana, stayed with a host family for the first two weeks of his visit before exploring his heritage among different areas of the country his last week.

“When we went to Ghana, we visited the slave dungeons,” Lenon said. “When many Africans were turned over to slavery they were imprisoned there. The dungeons were underground and very dark, with very low ceilings. There was about a 5-foot-high doorway, called the ‘doorway of no return.’ Once you went through that door you were never coming back. That’s why returning to Ghana and experiencing ‘Sankofa’ is like returning to home.”

According to the Institute for International Education, less than two percent of college students in the United States study abroad during their undergraduate careers.

The experience can be beneficial, not only from a personal level as Lenon learned, but professionally as well, Foust said.

“If you can put a study abroad or international internship experience on your resume, you’re more likely to get noticed,” Foust said.