Grace Cote
Grace Cote says time spent in Australia, the Dominican Republic and Colombia as a Creighton Global Scholar was “the most defining experience of my life.”
Anyone who thinks a college education is solely about the classroom should talk with Grace Cote about camping in the Blue Mountains and hiking at Royal National Park, both in New South Wales, Australia; volunteering at an orphanage and helping construct a rural aqueduct, both in the Dominican Republic; or working on sustainable agricultural techniques in the mountains of Colombia.
Cote, a double major in international relations and Spanish with a minor in cultural anthropology, says her accomplishments were greatly enhanced by her travel experiences with Creighton’s Global Scholars Program.
“I am so grateful for every layer of my experience as a Global Scholar in these past four years,” says Cote, who is from Overland Park, Kansas. “It has without a doubt been the most defining experience of my life.”
The classroom is not the sole source of wisdom, Cote found.
“I learned so much through the people that I met and through being in each of these unique settings,” she says, “I was shaped by the perspectives and wisdom that each of these situations brought. I believe we learn best from sharing our stories and experiences and growing together. This program allowed me to do just that."
The Global Scholars program is designed to blend international study and travel into a four-year curriculum aimed at building global citizens.
Students live and study among a variety of cultures and people, study languages, complete specialized coursework and research and participate in internships while experiencing the unique social and service life of each location.
Her time in Colombia, Cote says, where she worked with a community organizing group named Sembrandopaz, was especially transformative. Sembrandopaz, she says, is a community-driven organization that reflects the values of the communities it serves and owns a small farm where it develops experimental and sustainable agricultural practices.
“I lived with a host family on the farm,” Cote says. “I am inspired by their dedication to making the space a sanctuary for both people and the environment. They helped shape my understanding of how important community and caring for each other is in making meaningful change.”
