Think of study abroad as a formative space where every term a new group of distinct identities intersect in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore a different country and culture.

We’ve seen a positive trend of rising student diversity in U.S. study abroad for more than a decade. As more students of different backgrounds and identities choose to study abroad from U.S. schools, we invite students on our programs to be aware of how important it is for all of us—students, faculty and staff—to participate in creating an environment where all students can thrive while abroad.

For the purposes of true inclusivity, thinking about identity abroad and its complexities in the context of another culture is something we hope you’ll embrace in advance of boarding your flight for your IES Abroad journey. Understanding how your own identity may play into your host culture experience abroad can help smooth how you acclimate and enable you to engage more easily and authentically with other students’ and host country residents’ personalities, ideas, perspectives, forms of expression and backgrounds.

Navigating Identity & Diversity Abroad

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Reach out to the Diversity team if you have any questions about identity-based events, how identity can affect study abroad or internship experiences, opportunities, or more.

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“I’m freer to be myself; I know who I am in a different language and a different culture because I created that person and held her close and, in the process, became proud of her. I don’t think I would’ve had that without leaving the comfort of my spaces here at home.”
Ashley S. • Brandeis University • Granada – Study in Granada

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We're here to help! If you have questions about IES Abroad, our programs, or study abroad in general, we're here for you.

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