Despite playing the violin since she was six-years-old, Amelia “Amie” Roosevelt, great granddaughter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, was adamant that ‘professional musician’ was not the career path she wanted for herself. At Swarthmore College, Amie majored in German literature and Religion with the intent to pursue a career in academia. But music continued to be a large part of her life, even during her study abroad experience in Freiburg where she was a member of the University of Freiburg’s Academic Orchestra. Eventually, she realized music was what she wanted to do. Now a professional violinist, Amie shares how her experience in Freiburg influenced her approach to music and paved the way for her return to Germany for work.

IES Abroad: How did you decide to study abroad and why did you choose Freiburg?

Amelia Roosevelt: I had gone to a music festival in Chautauqua, New York, and I immediately made friends with a young woman from Germany. We played in the orchestra together and lived in the same housing. She started making friends with all of the opera singers from around the world because they wanted to practice their German with her. So, I met all of these opera singers who were speaking all of these different languages. At that point, I had never been to Europe. I had taken some Spanish and French in school, but I had never really thought about languages as being fun and exciting. Through this atmosphere at Chautauqua, learning German was really fun, and I got the idea to study German in college. My new friend gave me advice on where to study in Germany and mentioned that Freiburg was a really nice place. In fact, she was going to study at the university there. I decided to enroll in the IES Abroad program because I wanted to transfer the credits back to my college, Swarthmore. The combination of my having a good friend in Freiburg and IES Abroad having a great program made Freiburg a good choice. 

IES Abroad: How did you grow during your time in Freiburg?

AR: I didn’t realize that I had a good ear for languages. I had not been particularly good at languages studying in high school. It makes a huge difference to be immersed in it. My housing was arranged by IES Abroad, and I had an American roommate, Christa, whose mother was German and only spoke German at home. She and I decided to only speak German to one another. I really didn’t speak English much during the whole time I was in Freiburg. We were in a Catholic dorm with other students and spoke only German with them, and I only spoke German with my musician friends. When I spoke with my parents later that spring, they commented that I had a German accent!

IES Abroad: What are some of your greatest memories from your time in Freiburg?

AR: One of them was living in the dorm with other German speakers. The dorm was divided between the women’s and the men’s section, but there wasn’t enough room on the women’s side, so Christa and I took an attic room on the men’s side. We ate in the kitchen with all of these guys. It was really fun sharing our meals with them. Many of them were theology students, Lutheran and Catholic. The other great memory was playing in the Academic Orchestra, which was the University of Freiburg’s orchestra. It wasn’t a music school orchestra, but it was all of these incredibly talented musicians who were studying mostly other things at the university, like me. It was a really great part of my experience there.

IES Abroad: You come from one of America’s most famous families. Especially given the critical role your great grandfather, Franklin D. Roosevelt played in WWII, upon hearing your name, how did the Europeans react to you?

AR: I tend to go through life playing that down. In a lot of cases, it really wasn’t noticed. My name is a valid Dutch name, so Europeans don’t assume that I’m part of a presidential family. They just assume that I am an American with Dutch heritage. In the couple of instances when I was asked, some people would express some disappointment that FDR wasn’t tougher in negotiations with Stalin. It was interesting hearing perspectives of FDR as a post-World War II, post Hitler negotiator. Most had much less perspective about what FDR did in the States, what he did after the Great Depression, or what the New Deal was. Their perspective was the post WWII map more than anything. Sometimes, I’d meet people whose parents or grandparents were active in the resistance. They had great respect for FDR and what he did to motivate Americans to try to do something about the War and end the Holocaust.

IES Abroad: You majored in German Literature and Religion at Swarthmore but also studied music. Tell us about your breadth of interests. Did the classes you took in Freiburg influence you?

AR: Yes, they did. When I was in Freiburg, I was playing a lot. I played in the Academic Orchestra, a string quartet, and in a festival. I didn’t take regular music lessons for that semester, which was really the first time since I was six years old when I didn’t have weekly lessons. This was good because I spent more time living there. And, of course, it took quite a bit of time to do the German homework and the theology work in German. It would have been a socially less fun time for me had I been taking music lessons. That was a good break from my trajectory that I really enjoyed.

The theology classes I took were very eye opening. When I choose my major of Religion, I was really interested in comparative religions and these different systems of beliefs. I was also interested in anthropology and philosophy. Religion became a way to deal with all of these questions and interesting cultural differences. The religion students at the University of Freiburg thought that I was an unusual phenomenon. In Germany, especially at that time, you didn’t study comparative religion from a distant standpoint – trying to understand it from an intellectual perspective. You studied religion because you were religious and you wanted to become a pastor or an important theologian. It was all about your belief. There was no other student in my classes who wasn’t a real believer. It was an interesting perspective coming from this East Coast, private, totally intellectual college where people ponder the different religions. That was completely new to me! 

IES Abroad: When you first arrived in Freiburg, did you have any career goals in mind?

AR: I played the violin since I was six years old, was very serious about it all through high school, and had some experiences at the conservatory level while in high school. I spent a lot of my youth thinking that this was tough and ultra-competitive. People were getting tendonitis and were not really having a good time because they were practicing too much. I tried not to go the professional musician route because I felt that it was more interesting and fulfilling to do more academic things. I was thinking that I would do graduate work in German literature or religion, so I kept trying to focus on those things. I finally realized, after trying very hard not to become a professional musician, that this is what I wanted to do with my life.

IES Abroad: In what ways did study abroad impact your career path and approach to music?

AR: Any experience that you have outside of being a musician helps your musicianship. It was really refreshing to be in a culture where classical music is part of the culture. I feel that Europeans approach music in a larger way. They consider music to be part of a bigger culture. They think it is related to painting. They think it is related to literature. They think it is related to language. This is probably the biggest thing that I got from studying there. The language that the composer speaks comes through in the composition. There are German groups who play a lot of German music, French groups playing a lot of French music, and Italians playing a lot of Italian music. Everyone will acknowledge, “We like Italian music and will play Italian music, but those Italians have something in their language that helps them play it better.” Especially French versus German where the languages are so different, they acknowledge that connection between the language and actual music making.

IES Abroad: You have played with several German ensembles. How did your improved German language skills and opportunities to explore music while in Freiburg impact these engagements?

AR: It was very important. I lived in Cologne from 1998 to 2001 and had studied Baroque violin in Amsterdam from 1997, traveling often to Cologne where I was part of a regular chamber orchestra and a string quartet. Just being quite fluent in German made a huge difference in my ability to feel like a real part of that group. Germans have a very strict code of who you address in the formal and who you address in the informal. For example, in my chamber orchestra, I learned that freelance musicians working together in a group like that you address them in the informal, by their first name. It is important to the bonding process. This is not true if you have a permanent position in an orchestra. Even if you sit next to them and they are the same age, you address them in the formal. My German was subtle enough to understand these differences and what that meant in German society. I was really happy for that.

IES Abroad: How did study abroad influence you personally?

AR: Studying abroad made me realize how great it is to go and live in a different city. I was open to more travel and gained an understanding of how you adjust, how you pick up language, and how you make connections with people in foreign countries. It gave me a lot of confidence. Up to that point, I had had one and a half years of college in a pretty protected environment. I developed confidence just living there and came to appreciate that German students my age were not living in dorms. Rather, they found a room in an apartment. They bought groceries, cooked, and cleaned up after themselves. So when I went the following semester to India, I felt more mature. While some things were scary, I thought that I could handle it. I had skills for handling unusual situations and how to maneuver.

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned while abroad that remains a constant in your life?

AR: When I studied abroad, I was so enthusiastic about Germany and Europe, in general, and about going to a different culture with a strong music tradition where the people were necessarily deeper. People my age had all grown up with the aftermath of World War II and the consequences of what their country had done, what their leader had done. They were still largely hated by other Europeans. I was taken by how meaningful life was for them and how much they had had to deal with collective war guilt. Also at that time, in the 1980s before the economic boom had happened, there was less materialism, which I really appreciated. They were environmentally very aware. I still think about these issues. The habits and awareness that I got from that time, I still keep.

When I went back to Germany to work, I considered staying in Germany for a long, long time. I decided not to. For me, personally, I learned a lesson. Looking at the many good things as there are about other places, you tend to see your own country’s problems and systems that don’t work. It’s been interesting to me to have idealized the German culture and then realize that everything has its pros and cons. There is no ideal society. It is important to take from other societies what you want and to appreciate them, but for me, it is also important to appreciate here. You can make communities wherever you are and find people you have things in common with. It is important to also find people you DON’T have things in common with and live with them. When I studied in Freiburg, I was still in the idealizing phase. Now that I’m older, I appreciate the culture here despite the fact that I don’t love everything about it.

Growing up in New Hampshire, John Irving (Vienna 1963-64) always felt like he didn’t belong. It wasn’t until studying abroad in Vienna as an auslander (foreigner) that he became comfortable being an outsider. At age 26, John published his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, about two Austrian students in Vienna. A professional wrestler and wrestling coach for many years, John became a full-time writer after the success of his fourth novel, The World According to Garp. In 2000, John won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Cider House Rules. He has had ten international bestsellers, and his novels are available in 35 languages. Today, John lives with his wife in Canada and just released his 14^th novel, Avenue of Mysteries. In our interview, John shares how the death of John F. Kennedy and meeting John Steinbeck shaped his time in Vienna, and how the experience influenced his perspective on writing and the world.

IES Abroad: What led you to study abroad in Vienna?

John Irving: In retrospect, I wish I had gone to a Spanish-speaking place exclusively for that junior year abroad experience. Spanish was the language I took for three years in high school, and I already had two years of college Spanish. But I was more interested in German literature, and I had this naive idea that whatever country I went to study in I would become fluent in that language. Not so. I wanted to able to read German literature. I'm totally happy with the experience I had, but now, of course, living in North America, having one child who is fluent in Spanish, writing a novel (which I have) about a Mexican American – well, I wish were fluent in Spanish. Anyway, I said, “No, I'm going to go down the road of German and Vienna.”

Although my German became conversationally pretty good and still is useful, my German never became good enough to read all these heroes of German literature — Thomas Mann, and later, most importantly, Günter Grass. I could never have read them in their German. I remember killing myself as a student in Vienna trying to read The Tin Drum and finally giving up, having to write my dad at home and say, “Send me a copy of the book I can read in English. I'm just dying. I can't read this.” [Carrying around a copy of this book] also was a great way to meet girls. And of course, I had read it in English so I could have conversations with girls I met in Vienna and say, “Yes, of course, it’s a terrific book,” and pretend as if I knew it. It was a perfect way in. Nobody read it. In retrospect, I really wished I'd stayed with the Spanish, but it was one of those decisions you make at 18 or 19 that isn't terribly grounded in the reality of the future.

IES Abroad: How would you describe your experience abroad?

JI: What I loved about Vienna, frankly, was being alone. I've always felt like I don't belong where I'm from or where I live. So, the experience of actually leaving the U.S. for the first time (at that time, it was truly only the second or third time I'd been outside of New England), of actually being a foreigner, of actually being the foreigner, instead of it simply feeling like the years growing up in New Hampshire…I would say to myself, “Boy, do I not belong here. I don't know where I really belong. Am I really from here? I don't feel like I belong here." I feel like I'm standing at a telephoto lens at a distance looking at all these people, and I'm not one of them. I think that's the way a lot of writers feel, that they're not that close to something.

I said, "Now, there's no excuses. I don't have to be apologetic or feel that it is not my fault that I'm the foreigner or the outsider. Being the outsider is what I am.” So, suddenly the experience of being alone (or as the Germans say allein), to be all alone (ganzallein), I thought, “This kind of suits me. This is how it will always be, that you will always feel outside everything else, and people who know you or even know you a little will view you with a certain amount of distance.”

IES Abroad: How do you stay connected with the real world?

JI: If you are writing about an ob-gyn, for example, you have to know what they know. And if you're not an ob-gyn – you haven't been to medical school and you haven’t practiced obstetrical and gynecological surgery – well, you have a lot to learn. I do something else that a lot of writers don't do because I do not write solely from my own experience. I do a lot of writing outside of myself and way outside my own experience and my own country. My first novel, Setting Free the Bears, which was set in Vienna, was about two Austrian students and the history that haunted them. It was a history that was active only in their imaginations because much of it happened before they were born or while they were still too young to know. It is a historical novel about the Nazi and Soviet occupations of Vienna. Well, that wasn't the Vienna I knew. I wasn't one of those students or one of their ancestors.

From the very beginning, my instincts were never to think that my autobiographical experience, which I find kind of boring, or that anything I choose to write are details from my experience. Rather the details are always enhanced, always exaggerated, always taken to extremes – extremes that never happened in my own life. The novel I've just finished, my 14th, Avenue of Mysteries, one chapter is set almost entirely in the Philippines and in Mexico. It is about a Mexican American who was very much an outsider in the circumstances in which he grew up in the south of Mexico.

IES Abroad: What autobiographical details do you draw upon in your novels?

JI: Sure, there's a lot of New England in my novels. There are a lot of recognizable traces of the things that are pertinent to my life, for example, the not knowing of my biological father. But ask my mother if she were alive. She would be the first to tell you I never wrote a word about her. "Who are these mothers?!” She probably would have been angry if I had written about her, but she was vexed that I wrote about these strangers that didn’t resemble her in the slightest. I have invented a number of curious or interesting missing fathers. The most autobiographical thing about my novels is that I do write pretty consistently about what I'm afraid of, what I fear, about what I hope for –  not about what has happened to me, what never happens to me, or what I hope never happens to anyone I love. Terrible things happen in my books. Terrible things have not happened to me.

IES Abroad: Many of your books have an international aspect to them, and you have lived all around the world. Tell us about your interest in ‘the international’. 

I've always had an interest in other countries and other places, and surely the experience of living abroad for the first time, of living in a place where English was not the first language, of feeling the foreignness was an experience that I repeatedly have sought in my life. My middle son was born in Vienna some years after I was a student there. I've lived in Vienna longer at other times. I was writing the screenplay for my first novel that was never made, Setting Free the Bears, when I was living in the war archive looking at film after film after film of Hitler's election campaign and Hitler’s being embraced by the Austrian population when he first rode in the brown Mercedes into Vienna.

I live in Canada full-time because I'm married to a Canadian, and she lived in the U.S. with me for more than 28 years. So, it’s a natural thing for me to be living here. It may be perceived as political. Some people who either know me very well or not so well say, “Well, you picked a good time to leave the United States. I know what you think of the Republicans.” Don't be simplistic. I'm a U.S. citizen. I'll always be a U.S. citizen. I may some years hence be a dual citizen. I'm not making a statement. I'm an international writer. Almost half of my income is in translations. That is not usual for American writers. It is not usual for American writers to write as much outside the U.S. as I already have and repeatedly do. If almost half of my income as a writer is from translations, much more than half of my traveling as a writer for publications is to many of those translation countries. Because of my internationalism as a writer, I need to live in a place like Toronto that has a functioning international airport. I need to get places.

IES Abroad: What were the moments in Vienna that changed your life in the year 1963-64?

JI: Being in Vienna when JFK was killed and seeing the shock and love for him that the Austrians felt was profoundly moving. I remember coming into a local guesthouse/wine house where they knew me. It was a place we often went. I remember walking in there, and one of the waiters was terribly agitated and upset because on this little black and white TV with a little tiny screen by the bar, it was showing this scene of Mrs. Kennedy reaching over the back of the car pulling somebody into the car. It was all very muddled, and the waiter was very agitated. Of course, what the waiter said, I realized later from a student whose German was a little better than mine, was “I’m so sorry. Your President has been shot.” He used a colloquial word, and the word was not president. I took him to mean – this guy who knew me and knew I was American – “Student, student, I’m so sorry,” and it sounds like he said, “Your father has been shot.” I said, “What?” And this other friend who was with me whose German was very good, he said, “No. It’s not your father, its JFK.” And then it was kind of an indelible moment. Typical of me, I made that a better story in a novel, In One Person. It’s all about a bisexual boy in Vienna, not my year in Vienna. 

Another was the crossing with an American ship in the unlikely port of Vienna that took the form of the writer John Steinbeck appearing in Vienna visiting the University of Vienna. There was a class in American literature at the University that IES Abroad students could take. Steinbeck was going to visit the class, and everyone was very excited by that. A little questionnaire was passed among us about our knowledge of Steinbeck. The student who would be assigned to escort Mr. Steinbeck would be not only the student who spoke English, but who had knowledge of Steinbeck. This was shortly after the President was killed and Steinbeck had been in the Soviet Union on a so-called Kennedy goodwill tour. He was one of Kennedy's cultural ambassadors, and he had left the Soviet Union in a great huff. And rightly so, because he felt betrayed by his Russian translators and publishers who had published The Grapes of Wrath without a copyright date as a way of suggesting that the dustbowl period of time and the era in which The Grapes of Wrath was set was a present-day poverty situation in the U.S. Much to his horror, Steinbeck discovered that The Grapes of Wrath was being used as anti-American propaganda.

And then Steinbeck knew Kennedy personally, or Kennedy had appointed him personally as a cultural ambassador, so he was in an agitated state of mind. I was very excited to meet him and was appointed as his escort because I had demonstrated that I knew more about Steinbeck and had read everything by Steinbeck, more than the other students. Well, why wouldn't I be the Steinbeck authority? I was the only American in the class. Steinbeck realized I was American after about 10 minutes or so, and his wife was really nice to me, but he was pretty gruff. Understandably, the poor guy had been betrayed where he'd been, and now, he's talking very patiently to one of the nice Austrian students in this class in American literature at the University of Vienna, but as it turned out, I'm an American. So, he's angry about the fact that he'd come all this way to talk to this class, and he's talking to another American! I was totally intimidated. He was a very scary guy, and it didn’t work out very well. The things I remember were these kinds of moments of shock and horror.

IES Abroad: Were there professors in Vienna who made an impact on you?

JI: Certainly, there was one teacher at IES Abroad who was famous for the friendships he made with students. He was a demanding teacher but a wonderful teacher – Professor Mowatt. I took everything that Mowatt taught – everything, even things I had virtually no interest in. Everywhere I was a student, when I had a good teacher, I would do this. I had no interest in Greek moral philosophy – none – but Eddy Mowatt taught it so that I would be interested. We attached ourselves to Mowatt, and we listened to Mowatt about courses offered at the University. I had good advice early on that basically informed me that it didn’t really matter what your major was or what you said you were most interested in. What mattered was you went where the teachers were. So, I did that. I did that with the German courses. Everyone was pushing to get to the next level or grouping, but I found one teacher who was teaching German, and I loved her better than the other teachers, so I simply stayed with her.

I was lucky all through my school years in every year in school. I wasn’t very happy in Pittsburgh, but there was one teacher who was very good to me. I sort of hooked myself to him, and you keep contact with people like that. Professor Mowatt was the guy in Vienna, and there often wasn’t more than one. In my college years, there was one guy my sophomore year at University of New Hampshire – a writer in residence – who gave me some good advice. I almost bailed out at the last minute on going to Vienna. This is an interesting story. Like most people that age, I had sort of met somebody, and I had a crush on her. I thought, “Oh, go to Europe for a year and lose this girl. I don’t know, maybe nothing is going to come of this.” This was late. I was already at Harvard summer school taking a crash German language lab class in preparation for Vienna because I had no German. So, I wrote to the University of New Hampshire, and I said, “I can’t go to Europe. I met this girl. I really like this girl. What do I have to do to get back into the University of New Hampshire and not take a leave of absence and do my junior year at UNH instead?” I’ll never forget what he wrote. It was pivotal in my life. He said “Go to Europe! It’ll be good for your writing. Go to Europe. Melancholy is good for writers.” I thought it had a certain romance to it. I thought, “Oh, being unhappy for a year, that’s cool!” We still correspond. He’s a great guy.  

IES Abroad: Many of your novels have a refrain. What would your refrain be for your year in Vienna – to communicate to your classmates or future study abroad students?

JI: I had fun. I can’t imagine what my perspective on writing or the world would be if I hadn’t gotten so outside myself. I’m not saying this as a criticism, honestly, when I say that most American writers are not international. This is just a truthful observation. It’s not a criticism. I’m just saying that in what they write about there’s a long tradition of Americans not venturing far from home as writers. We still hear about it, too much I think, the notion of “The Great American Novel.” I say, “Why American?” I just want to write a great novel. I think it is parochial to think of the novel as necessarily elevated by having the word “American” in front of it. I don’t find that elevating. My dad, who was a huge influence on me, was a Slavic Studies major at Harvard. He brought Russian history, Russian language into Phillips Exeter Academy for the first time. It was my dad who said, “Oh, you have to read Dostoevsky, you have to read Dickens, you have to read Tolstoy.” The reason I said no, I want to go to a German speaking place was because I worshiped Thomas Mann and soon would idolize, as I still do, Günter Grass. I can’t imagine myself without that perspective. The experience of imagining the world beyond the limitations of your childhood and the part of the country you come from, I think, is pretty important.

Having studied Italian for three years, Kendall Turner decided to study abroad in Milan, Italy, to test out her skills in the real world. Through the experience, she became more fearless, independent, and confident. Upon receiving her J.D. from Stanford University, Kendall clerked with U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and the Honorable Merrick B. Garland (President Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee). She also co-founded Proyecto Villa Nueva, a nonprofit focused on educating children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and she just completed a book on money management for young women. Today, she is an associate at the law firm Jenner & Block. In our interview, Kendall shares how the skills she learned abroad made her clerkships a little less intimidating and tells us about the inspiration behind her nonprofit.

IES Abroad: What motivated you to study in Milan? Had you traveled much previously, or was this your first experience abroad?

Kendall Turner: I had been studying Italian for three years in college and wanted a chance to take my language skills for a spin in the real world. Although most of my classmates who studied Italian went to Rome, I was drawn to Milan because it was less touristy. I had traveled a bit abroad before—I’d been to England, Italy, and Austria when I was younger—but this was my first extended stay abroad by myself.

IES Abroad: What are one or two of your most impactful study abroad memories?

KT: I remember having to do a presentation to my whole group at the end of my time abroad—I was so afraid of public speaking! But the experience helped me learn that sometimes the fear doesn’t go away; you just have to do things while being afraid.

IES Abroad: How did you change most during your time in Milan?

KT: I became more fearless, more independent. I felt (and continue to feel) confident that I could travel happily on my own.

IES Abroad: After receiving your J.D. from Stanford University, you had a clerkship with Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. You also clerked for the Honorable Merrick B. Garland (President Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee). Were there any skills learned or developed abroad that you were able to draw upon in these experiences?

KT: Both Justice Breyer and Judge Garland are wonderful, wonderful bosses. Both can also be a bit intimidating when you’re fresh out of law school. But my time studying abroad in Milan—along with other experiences I’ve had throughout my life—helped me learn that I could face them, even if I was a little afraid of them. 

IES Abroad: In addition to your interest in law, you co-founded Proyecto Villa Nueva, a nonprofit in Honduras focused on educating children in marginal urban barrios in Tegucigalpa. Tell us about the organization and the inspiration behind it.

KT: PVN provides scholarships to students in Colonia Villanueva—a barrio in Tegucigalpa, Honduras—that follow them from fourth grade through the end of their education (provided that they maintain their academic performance).  We also support teacher committees by providing them with leadership training, professional development workshops, and lessons in financial management. Our work helps keep students in school and enhance their educational experience. I wish I could take credit for the genius behind the organization, but I was inspired by a friend and by circumstance. My best friend from college moved to Honduras after he graduated and was studying retention rates in the schools in this barrio, and he wanted to do something to improve them.

IES Abroad: You recently finished a book about money management for women in their 20s and 30s before starting as an associate at the law firm Jenner & Block. How did this project come about?

KT: I started working at Jenner & Block a few months ago, and I made good headway on the book before I began. I decided to write it because I have so many friends who kept asking me the same questions: What should I do about my student loans? How much should I be saving for retirement? Should I buy a house? I grew up with two financial advisors for parents, so these topics were the stuff of our dinner conversations. (Yup, our dinner conversations were pretty boring.) I know there are many books providing financial advice, but I thought I could write a book in a particularly accessible format that would be helpful to many of my peers.

IES Abroad: What has been one of your most satisfying accomplishments to date? What are you most looking forward to next?

KT: My most satisfying accomplishment (if you can call it that) has been developing some really good friends. I know that’s corny, but it’s true. I’m an only child and have a tough family situation, so my friends help keep me on track. And I’m most looking forward to being a good friend back to them, because I have asked a lot of my friends lately.

IES Abroad: Why do you feel study abroad is important for students today?

KT: My time in college was pretty excellent, and I thought adult life would always be like that. It’s not. (Although my life right now is pretty excellent, too.) I think studying abroad helped me realize that when you’re not in a structured social environment like school, you have to work harder at making yourself happy. Truth be told, I’m still learning that lesson. But studying abroad, getting outside your comfort zone, is a good way to start. It’s also important to realize that there are lots of different ways (and places) to live your life, and lots of different definitions of success.

As a cinema student at the University of Southern California, Willard Huyck was drawn to study abroad in Paris to be at the heart of the French New Wave. Over the course of the year, Willard frequented two cinematheques where he saw at least 60 films, including a screening and live lecture with New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard. After graduation, Willard became a reader at a B-movie factory where he summarized scripts. Deciding he could write just as well, Willard wrote his first screenplay – The Devils 8, a low-budget action film that premiered in 1969 and launched his career. In 1978, Willard returned to Paris to film French Postcards, a movie about a junior year abroad, and, serendipitously, his role model, French filmmaker François Truffaut, was a regular on the set. Today, Willard is an Oscar-nominated motion picture screenwriter and director whose film credits include American Graffiti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Radioland Murders. He also worked on screenplays for the first Star Wars and the first Mission Impossible. In our interview, Willard reflects on his transformative year abroad and his career in filmmaking, and he tells us about his other passion, still photography.

IES Abroad: What led you to study abroad and why did you choose Paris?

Willard Huyck: When I started college, I didn’t plan to study abroad. I just happened to be walking down a hall at the University of Southern California (USC) and noticed an advertisement on the wall about the IES program in Paris. I thought, “Wow… this sounds cool. Now how do I convince my parents?” So, I applied first, was excited when I was accepted - then told my parents. Fortunately, they thought it was a great idea. They went with me to New York to see me off as I boarded the Queen Elizabeth with the IES students and we sailed off for France. That’s something you don’t do anymore.

IES Abroad: Did you have any career plans in mind when you studied abroad?

WH: I didn’t have any career plans at that point. I had gone to USC to study journalism because I had been the editor of the high school newspaper, and SC had a famous journalism school. But before I studied abroad I had already switched my major to Cinema – again without telling my parents. One of the reasons I chose Paris was because I was crazy about the films being made by the French “Nouvelle Vague” (New Wave) directors: Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol.

IES Abroad: Did you understand how important French cinema was at the time?

WH: Oh, yeah. Definitely. French, Italian, English, and Japanese movies were the “text books” we studied at film school. When I got to Paris, I remember attending a screening after which Jean-Luc Godard spoke. That was a transformative moment and indelible memory. It was also amazing when I returned to Paris in 1978 to make my film French Postcards and actually got to know François Truffaut. Marie-France Pisier was in the film, and she had worked with Truffaut, so he would come by the set to see her. And because I spoke some French I got extra points with the French crew.

IES Abroad: What are some of your most influential memories from your time studying abroad?

WH: In those days, there were two French Cinematheques, and I would travel on the Metro between them constantly. I kept a list of all the movies I saw – which was about 60 that year. It was interesting because a lot them were American movies that the French loved. The other fond memories of my year aboard came from the traveling we did. We spent a school holiday in Spain, went skiing in Austria. After school finished, I took off with my girlfriend to Switzerland where her parents had a house. And from there I boarded the Orient Express train from Switzerland to Istanbul and on to Greece — where I made a stupid mistake changing money, got ripped off, and realized it was time to head home. The only problem was we didn’t carry credit cards in those days, and money had to be wired through Western Union. Making the call home to get the money for my plane ticket was a day-long nightmare in an Athens phone booth.   

IES Abroad: After graduating from USC, how did you get started writing screenplays? Were there skills learned abroad that you applied in the early days of your career?

WH: My first movie job was as a “reader.” I would read and synopsize scripts that were being submitted to the production company. And I would give my “professional” opinion – even though I was only a green film school graduate. I was working at a B-movie motorcycle and beach party factory. They didn’t exactly hire top tier writers, and one day I told my boss, “You know, I can write as well as some of these people.” And so he said, “Really? Okay, let’s see you do it. So, I wrote a low budget action film with a friend I’d gone to film school with. It was called The Devil’s 8.  It was my first screen credit, and got me into the Writers’ Guild. To celebrate, I invited all my friends to the opening night premiere on Hollywood Boulevard. In those days, they had search lights out in front of the theaters, and there was a also big crowd.  I went to the door with my friends and gave the manager my name. He said, “So? Who are you?” I said, “Well, we’re here for the premiere. I wrote the movie.” He said, “What movie?” I said, “The one you’re showing — The Devil’s 8.” He said, “We’re not showing that. You’re at the wrong theater. That one’s down the street.” He pointed to a dark, funky little theater. When we got there we found about ten people inside. Still, that movie was my lucky break. And it led to other premieres with slightly larger crowds.

IES Abroad: Your love and appreciation of still photography has been a constant in your life before, during, and after your work in film. In what ways did your experiences in Paris influence your interest in and passion for photography?

WH: My wife and I collect photography. It’s an interest that started at film school. In the sixties, before you could make your student movies, you had to learn still photography. You shot, developed and printed photographs that were supposed to tell a story. That came in handy on my junior year abroad. At the end of the year, members of our class put on a satirical play that I wrote. During the play, I used a slide projector to project photographs that I had shot around Paris with our “actors” that dealt with the action on the stage. We thought of it as multi-media, multi-lingual (French/English) extravaganza. It had a short run—one night. But it was big fun. 

IES Abroad: You have been nominated and received many awards for your work in film. What accomplishments are you the most proud of?

WH: It’s wonderful and satisfying when you make a movie that connects with people, that moves them, or makes them laugh. You feel like you’ve created a shared experience. We worked on three films that had that kind of impact: American Graffiti, the first Star Wars, and Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom. 

IES Abroad: What is one thing you learned while abroad that remains a constant in your life?

WH: Not to be afraid of doing things that are off-the-wall and adventurous. I had some trepidation about going off for a year. And I did get homesick, and went through a period of gloomy French weather that had me “California Dreaming” of sunshine. But I look back on that year fondly.

IES Abroad: What advice would you give to students in film studies and other creative majors about studying abroad today?

WH: The experience of being abroad, opening yourself up to a different world, seeing new and different things is something that will get your creative juices flowing. If you are involved in the visual arts, or music, or writing, there will be stunning sights, enriching museum visits, and unexpected experiences to inspire you. For creative people, traveling and studying abroad has always been an important part of an aspiring artist’s education.  

IES Abroad: We sincerely thank you for your role as a judge, three years in a row now, for IES Abroad’s annual Study Abroad Film Festival. What has this experience been like for you?

WH: I was really impressed by the videos I reviewed. The finalists’ films were serious, funny, moving and insightful. They were well-crafted and showed real talent. I was surprised by the serious insights and emotions the filmmakers exhibited in their work. There have been a lot of technical advances since my 1965 slide projector—but it’s never the equipment that’s important. It’s the brains and sensibilities of the people behind the cameras that make the kind of interesting films that are coming out of the IES experience.

IES Abroad: Is there anything else that you want to share with readers?

WH: I’ve always thought it was strange how important and memorable the high school years are for most people. I think it’s the same with the experience of studying abroad. It’s a relatively short period of time, but it has a real impact and makes a real imprint on the rest of your life. My junior year in Paris was like that.

From for-profit to non-profit, Chris Crane (Vienna 1971-73), owned and transformed COMPS InfoSystems, Inc. from a small, print-based publisher to an electronic real estate database publisher, until he sold it in 2000. Chris was then recruited by Opportunity International, the world’s largest faith-based global microfinance organization and served as President and CEO for the next seven years, where he grew revenue through private donations from $8 million to $53 million. In 2009, he founded Edify, a faith-based humanitarian organization that makes small business loans to enable financial sustainability among Christian schools in Africa and Latin America. Read on to see how Chris’s experience studying abroad in Vienna gave him the adventurous spirit necessary to change the trajectory of his own life and thereby, the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in developing nations around the world.

IES Abroad: As an undergraduate studying finance, why did you decide to study abroad, and why did you choose Vienna?

Chris Crane: My good friend, Jack Trifero and I actually applied to the IES Abroad Durham program, but the spots were limited and they turned us down. However, we were accepted for the Vienna program. Because we didn't have to speak German that worked for us. Further, my friend Jack told me he was reading up on IES Abroad Vienna and we could study in a palace which really impressed us at the time. When I went home and told my father he said Vienna was in the heart of Eastern and Western Europe and that it if were in our shoes, he'd much rather go to Vienna than to Durham. So the decision was made!

IES Abroad: What happened to you in Vienna encouraged you to move from the for-profit to the non-profit sector?

CC: Before Vienna, I was totally focused on business, accounting and finance classes. Vienna and all of Europe expanded my horizons and introduced me to art, music, literature, philosophy, and architecture I had never before known. I visited 23 countries and almost exclusively studied the liberal arts. Seeing, experiencing, and studying it all at the same time had a tremendous impact on me. I made lifelong European and American friends.

IES Abroad: Who had the most impact on you during your time in Vienna?

CC: Center Director Clarence Giese told us from the first day and throughout the year to “be open to the new. Embrace the culture and the people. You can do things in a totally different way than how they’ve been done before.” He gave permission – as well as provided the social, emotional, and psychological platform – to embrace the unknown and move from one adventure to the next. Clarence chose me to be a student assistant and remain in Vienna for a second year. That extra year solidified my German language skills and allowed me to make more friends and travel extensively throughout Europe.

IES Abroad: After graduating from Boston College, you went on to earn your MBA from Harvard and began your career in the for-profit business sector. Were there lessons learned in Vienna that were particularly useful early on in your career?

CC: Learning to look at the world and various issues from very disparate points of view was really helpful to me. Also, I had not been interested in art and music before going to Vienna, and I learned a lot taking classes there and visiting museums. Early in my career, I found that topics about art, and music and European history came up in conversation. My background gave me the wherewithal to contribute to those conversations in a meaningful way. It made me a well-rounded person and I'm grateful for that. I worked for a consulting firm early on and they had an office in Germany. When I applied, I wrote on my application that I spoke German. They didn't have a post open in the U.S. at that time, but I did get an interview in German with their German national who hiring. I didn't get the job, but I was in the running.

IES Abroad: Transforming COMPS InfoSystems, Inc. from a small company into a national player and eventually listing it as an IPO is a great business success story. Why did you decide to sell and transition into the non-profit sector and establish Edify.org?

CC: When you take your company public, you lose the right to turn down a buyer who makes an offer. You lose some control in the board room. After the decision was made to sell the company, I stepped back and took a few years off. It was during that time that I got a call from Opportunity International to move into the non-profit sector. I deflected the offer at first, but in the end realized that it was a calling and I couldn't turn it down.

IES Abroad: What have been some of Edify’s greatest accomplishments to date?

CC: At the time we started Edify, there was nobody doing what we were doing. It was great to jump into this new arena. A friend of mine and I created the first Edify school in Africa together. We have 60 employees now and 42 are foreign nationals. And there are three other organizations doing what we do now. The cumulative impact today of Edify is 1,902 schools, 468,570 students, 6,472 teachers trained. I'm very proud of the outcomes Edify has had across Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Liberia, Peru, and Rwanda.

IES Abroad: You have mentioned that Vienna provided you with the opportunity to study and appreciate art and music. Why is this important for a businessman, change agent, and leader?

CC: First and foremost, it gives me a lot of enjoyment. I'm an Opera devotee and try to attend as many performances as I can in San Diego. But really, the opening up of my worldview is what impacted me the most. I always listen carefully to others' points of view and take them under careful consideration. That came out of my experience in Vienna. Having spent two years in Vienna was a real differentiator for me and I attribute it to getting accepted into Harvard Business School at the time I applied.

Seeking an international understanding of political science and economics, Judy Newman embarked on a semester abroad in London in 1977 with encouragement from a professor at Connecticut College. From exploring bookshops throughout the city to learning about the national debate on education to writing a thesis on privacy at the London School of Economics, Judy unknowingly laid the foundation for a future career in children’s book publishing. Today, as EVP and President of Scholastic Reading Club and E-Commerce, Judy is making a difference by connecting teachers and students with books and empowering children to succeed academically and beyond. Read on to find out how studying abroad redefined Judy’s life and taught her lessons she continues to draw upon today.

IES Abroad: How did you hear about IES Abroad and what motivated you to study in London?

Judy Newman: I heard about IES Abroad through my advisor at Connecticut College—a fiery and beloved Government professor named William Frasure. Bill made me excited about the idea of a more intensive concentration in my major subjects—political science and economics—and studying them in another country. I knew that to have a real understanding of politics and our emerging global economy, I had to have more of an international perspective than what I was getting in the U.S. alone.

IES Abroad: What are some of your most influential memories from your time in London?

JN: It was a turbulent and exciting time in London: Labor strikes. The Sex Pistols. The Yorkshire Ripper. It was all so interesting! I loved being a student—and being part of our little group of IES Abroad Americans—blending in with all the British students and students from all over the world. We also took in as much as London had to offer, like theater, parties, concerts, museums, lectures, traveling on weekends all over England. The economy was going through rapid inflation, and the political climate was complicated. There was also a roiling national debate on education, which I think, in hindsight, encouraged me to start focusing my attention and my career on children’s books and working with teachers.

IES Abroad: You have worked exclusively in publishing, an industry that has changed dramatically over the course of your career. What motivated you to get into the publishing industry? Were you able to draw on lessons learned in London as you launched your career?

JN: While in London, I did an individual tutorial on privacy at the LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), which was a semester-long research project culminating in a thesis paper that I had to defend. Issues of privacy are very important in publishing, and I got quite an intellectual and rich foundation from my work on that tutorial. Given the privacy issues surrounding internet use today, I think we were ahead of the curve in doing that work.

Going to school in London means being surrounded by some of the best bookshops in the world and by people who love and appreciate books. I always had a passion for books, so I was very comfortable being in the mix there. Also, England has a rich and wonderful tradition in regard to children’s books, so I think my experiences poring over books in shops all over London accelerated my interest in becoming a children’s book publisher.

And you’re right: In some ways—with Amazon and digital book formats—publishing has changed. But the basic premise of publishing (particularly children’s book publishing) is that a great book—with a good story featuring relatable characters who do interesting and compelling things—is what matters, and this is as true as it ever was, from Lewis Carroll to Beatrix Potter to J.K. Rowling.

IES Abroad: You oversee Scholastic Reading Club, a unique school-based distribution channel that has changed the lives of children since 1948. What is the impact of this program?

JN: Scholastic Reading Club is such an effective partner for teachers, who do the most important work on our planet. Teachers tell us that without Scholastic Reading Club, they would have no books in their classrooms, since our program enables teachers to get free books for their classroom shelves and to give to students who can’t afford to purchase books.

And I am thrilled that we are able to establish the empowering and joyful experience for kids to choose, read, and own their own books, which we know, from years of experience and quantifiable research, is a major determinant of kids’ success both academically and in life. Our editors curate our selection from the more than 20,000 new children’s books published each year. Combining these choices with the best backlist and classic titles, we create monthly catalogs organized by grade, which are designed to engage, delight, and inspire kids to experience the joy and power of reading great books.

IES Abroad: You created the ClassroomsCare initiative in 1999 to stress the importance of reading and giving to children. What inspired you to develop this initiative?

JN: I believe kids all want to make a difference and help people less fortunate than themselves, but often they don’t have the wherewithal to do that. ClassroomsCare was a simple proposition. If you read books, Scholastic Reading Club will donate books to kids who don’t have any. It is a win-win-win: kids read, their actions trigger a donation, and they feel empowered; and we are able to get great, new books to kids who otherwise couldn’t afford them. Over the course of the program, Scholastic Reading Club has donated millions of books as a direct result of kids in schools reading and caring about others less fortunate than themselves.

IES Abroad: Giving back is something you are also personally passionate about. What organizations have you worked with?

JN: I do a lot of work with nonprofit organizations that support children’s literacy in underserved communities: I was Board Chair for eight years and currently serve on the board of Reach Out and Read,  a national nonprofit founded more than 20 years ago that’s dedicated to making literacy part of child health care. During wellness visits for children from infant to age five, trusted pediatricians provide parents with guidance on how to read with their child and develop a culture of reading in the home. In addition, the pediatricians give the families free brand-new books during the visit, which in many cases are the first books they have owned. 

I also work with Book Trust, a national nonprofit that subsidizes the Reading Club experience for children who cannot afford to purchase books. And I have long been involved with the Ruby Bridges Foundation, founded by social justice activist Ruby Bridges, who integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in 1960 and is the subject of Norman Rockwell’s famous painting The Problem We All Live With.

IES Abroad: Are there lessons you learned in London that have remained a constant throughout your life?

JN: IES Abroad in London was my first time living alone in a foreign country. I met people from all over the world. (Had Indian food for the first time. Now my favorite cuisine!) Embraced all kinds of new experiences and made incredible friends. And I did accomplish what I set out to do—learn more and study more deeply in my academic areas—politics, governments, and economics—which really helped me with my major studies when I went back to Connecticut College.

Travel—experiencing other cultures—opened up my world. Those are critical aspects to a full life. I see my experience in London in 1977 as a kickoff for a lifetime of travel for our family, who now all have a deep intellectual and emotional appreciation for the benefits of visiting, and living in, other countries.

For me, my semester in IES Abroad really advanced my worldview—I was more than a tourist. I was truly immersed.

IES Abroad: Have you been back to London since studying abroad?

JN: I was just in London to see the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child [which Scholastic is publishing in the U.S.] at the Palace Theatre in the West End. The whole experience of being in London from my time at IES Abroad came flooding back to me because we used to go to shows and get cheap student tickets. Though my seats were better now! It felt just as exciting and wonderful as it did when I was at IES Abroad.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students today who are interested in studying or interning abroad?

JN: Do it. It is a unique time in your life when you can be more than a tourist in another country. Embrace the community you live in and its culture. Spend the time immersed in your host country’s language and lifestyle. Try not to hang on to your ways of doing things at home. Be open and embrace the country you are studying in. And, of course, always be open-minded and interested and non-judgmental. You are an ambassador of your country too!

Study or an internship abroad will expand your perspective and give you tremendous insight into the world we live in, which is crucial to being successful and empathic and creative in our global community. Talk to other students who have gone abroad to weigh the benefits of home stays vs. living in a dormitory. If money is an issue, do research to find grants and scholarships. Find a way to get there!

As a Philosophy and French major at Holy Cross College, and at the urging of his mother, Dr. Joseph Coyle spent his junior year abroad in Paris. While there, Dr. Coyle’s thinking about life was dramatically transformed through his exposure to French appreciation for art, literature, and dining. From long dinners filled with discussion and debate to the abundance of cultural events, he learned how important these activities are for a rich life, as opposed to focusing solely on career advancement. Even today, as Director at the Laboratory for Psychiatric and Molecular Neuroscience at McLean Hospital and the Eben S. Draper Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School – two highly demanding positions – art, literature, and dining remain important aspects of his daily life. Read on to learn how Dr. Coyle went from studying literature, languages, and philosophy to a career in ground-breaking brain research, and how the skills he learned abroad have helped him all along the way.

IES Abroad: As a Philosophy and French student at Holy Cross College, why did you decide to study abroad in Paris as opposed to another French city?

Joseph Coyle: There were only a couple of programs in Europe, and I wanted to study in France. Even if there had been other programs in France, Paris is clearly the epicenter of French culture and is considered one of the finest cities in the world. I had taken six years of French in high school and college, and I was very interested in French literature, culture, and philosophers like Jean Paul Sartre and Jacques Lacan. My mother had an impact on my decision, too. She was a very unusual person. Her father came from Luxembourg, and even though he was a small town doctor in Iowa, she had a very cosmopolitan view of the world and felt it was very important for me to spend my junior year abroad. She probably had a clearer understanding of the implications of that experience than I did at that point in my life.

IES Abroad: Did you have an 'ah ha' moment during your study abroad that critically changed the way you think?

JC: The experience that really changed me in Paris was how one thinks about life and living one’s life. The French are very cosmopolitan. They think of the world more broadly. Art, literature, and dining are very important parts of their life. They aren’t afterthoughts. They are at the epic-enter of their life. I have many friends who are French scientists and clinicians. They are professionally as good as we are at what they do, but there is a whole other aspect of their life that tends not to be as important here in the United States. I have lived a very different life as a result of that year spent in Paris.

My roommate and I stayed with a widow who was a ‘veuve de guerre’ (war widow), and she was the President of the ‘Veuve de Guerre’ Association. We didn’t eat with her, but we were invited over for dinner with other students and their families on Sundays. These dinners were filled with discussion and debate, lingering over the meal for a couple of hours. That was special, and it did educate me on what is important in life, how those activities make your life richer, not just what your career is and what you do professionally.

Also, on any given night in Paris, there are so many cultural events going on. Bach being played in the setting of an old church, or going to see a play by Samuel Beckett who was just coming into his own at that time and capturing that sense of loneliness and alienation that only Beckett can do in a very severe way. Those were special opportunities that I will always remember.

IES Abroad: At what point did you decide you would go on to medical school? Did study abroad play a factor in your decision to become a doctor and research scientist, or confirm your previous interest in that career direction?

JC: I came from a family of physicians, my grandfather, my father, my uncles, my cousins were all doctors. Subconsciously, I was destined to be a physician. My father was an orthopedic surgeon, a very practical man, and he was very surprised when he learned that I was going to take my junior year abroad in France. The return for my last year of college in Worcester was quite painful. At my interview with the admissions committee at Johns Hopkins Medical School, I was asked if I had any experience with research. To some puzzled looks, I confidently responded in the affirmative that I did my senior thesis on Samuel Beckett, the Irish playwright, who wrote exclusively in French. But, stepping back now, in spite of this naivety about what was really meant by “research,” I am convinced that this eight-year immersion in literature, languages, and philosophy was extraordinarily helpful in developing the ability to think critically and to communicate effectively during my scientific career. Of course, the experience also greatly altered my view of the world and solidified my interests in the arts, music, and literature.

During the summer between college and medical school, I took a job as a psychiatric orderly at the local community hospital since I was vaguely interested in psychiatry as a result of my readings of Freud, Lacan, and Sartre. After a few weeks into the position, the older brother of my closest childhood friend was admitted to the ward with his first episode of schizophrenic psychosis. Soon, I became enmeshed in his paranoid delusions. I then saw psychosis as the ultimate epistemological conundrum but painfully not as abstract as Bishop Berkeley’s hypothesis of immaterialism. This experience cemented my decision to focus on psychiatry in medical school, as it seemed to be the best blend of epistemology, humanism, and medicine.

IES Abroad: You have played a key role in much of the ground breaking research that has taken place over the past few decades in the field of brain research. Can you point to any specific things you learned or experienced in Paris that contributed to the skills you have drawn upon throughout your career?

JC: At that point in my life, I had no experience in research and no real interest in biology. Brain science barely existed at that time. It was only after I went to medical school and got first hand experiences with research that I moved down that career path. However, my experience learning how to communicate in another language was ultimately very helpful for me in terms of being a scientist. The French language is incredibly precise. You know what each word is referring to; whereas English is a little more slippery. Doing experiments is crafting questions so that the answers are very clear. Both French and Latin were very helpful to understand the logic of science. And the product of science is – at the end of the day – the scientific paper. If your findings are not communicated clearly in a scientific paper, it didn’t happen!  So, learning to speak and write and think in another language was very helpful to write well and clearly.

IES Abroad: Most recently, you have been Chief Scientific Officer and Director, Division of Neuroscience at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School, in addition to teaching at Harvard. What are some of the exciting developments or projects you are working on at McLean?

JC: I feel extraordinarily blessed to be doing something that I really love doing and getting up in the morning and looking forward to coming into the laboratory. We are trying to understand the causes of serious mental illness like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. What is very exciting now is the power of genetics (the sequencing of the genome that was mapped about 15 years ago) that has been brought to bear on these problems. Others have identified genes that confer risk for these disorders.  We’ve been taking these human mutations and making the same mutation in a mouse and then see what that does to the brain. How does it affect the brain structure and function? In this way, we are finding the common pathways that cause these disorders so that much more effective treatments can be developed. It is now possible to do large scale studies that are very informative. We take these broken genes and try to find out what they do in the brain. All the previous medications that we’ve had to treat psychiatric disorders and many neurological disorders were discovered by chance and serendipity. They work pretty well, but they have a lot of side effects and don’t really do a complete job.

Now that we can understand what is going wrong, we can develop treatments that are much more focused and effective. What we’re excited about right now is that because we’re replicating the effects of these defective genes in mice, can we uncover a way to reverse these effects. We’re collaborating with a colleague at Vanderbilt who makes drugs with specific targets, and we just published a paper that demonstrates that this drug in the mouse will reverse all of that brain pathology. Up until now, we’ve always thought about treating the symptoms of these conditions – like aspirin for a fever – and that may help one aspect, but not all. This suggests that there may be treatments that are curative.

IES Abroad: Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?

JC: When I started out, psychiatry was dominated by psychoanalytic theory and existential theory. While that is very appealing and can be helpful for some situations, they are completely unhelpful for serious mental disorders. I am proud of the fact that I started out as a part of a very small group of psychiatrists who emphasized that brain science was the way forward. The science I did was sufficiently credible that as a clinician I was elected President of the Society for Neuroscience, a worldwide research organization that is comprised almost entirely of basic scientists. I was an early advocate of brain science being the way forward in effectively dealing with serious mental illness.

IES Abroad: A few years ago, you returned to Paris with your classmates to celebrate your 50^th anniversary of studying abroad. What did you and your classmates remember most fondly about your time in 1963-64?

JC: What was gratifying to me was seeing how lives unfurled for many of my classmates in very diverse ways. I remember people who were young students at the age of 19. It was a pleasure to now see them 50 years later, having made, each in their own way, very important contributions to society. Everyone who came back was gratified and changed by their experience that year.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for pre-med students today who are considering study abroad but worried about fitting it into their rigid academic curriculum?

JC: Well, Holy Cross told me I couldn’t study abroad for a whole year 50 years ago! Junior year was the year that I was scheduled to take all the rigorous science classes I would need for medical school. And it was based on your success in those classes that you got your letters of recommendation for med school. So I didn’t do that! They told me it would be hard to get into medical school. So I took the requisite science classes in summer school at Loyola in Chicago. The bottom line was how you scored on your MCAT exam, and I did fine. However, the first two years of medical school were a struggle for me!

There are vigorous debates going on in medical education about the overemphasis of science in undergraduate years and the under emphasis of the humanities. Today there is so much emphasis on a college education being the preparation for your career, and I think it is misplaced. A grounding in the arts and sciences is necessary to being a full citizen.

After moving to the U.S. from Taiwan when she was just four years old, Sue Chen (Singapore, Fall 1990) struggled with her identity. Majoring in Asian Studies in college, Sue embarked on a path of self-discovery and studied abroad to reconnect with Mandarin Chinese, the language she had spoken as a very young child. In 1993, when she was just 23 years old, Sue launched NOVA Medical Products in the U.S., which has grown to become an industry leader on a mission to unlock the potential in millions of physically challenged people. In addition to her work as CEO, Sue is a passionate shark advocate and an avid diver. Read on to see how Sue’s study abroad experience laid the foundation for her professional success, and why she credits sharks with saving her life.

IES Abroad: As a student at Trinity University, how did you hear about IES Abroad and what motivated you to study abroad in Singapore?

Sue Chen: For college, I wanted to go to a small school where no one in my high school went. This was a common theme that led to my study abroad experience. I wanted to be in an unfamiliar place so I could get to know myself. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I was so frustrated that I didn’t. When I was in college, I started out as one major and then switched to another. Then, I went down this path of taking classes in Asian Studies – studying Asian culture, politics, history, etc. As I began taking classes, I began knowing myself as this amazing by-product [being Asian American]. I knew I had to take advantage of this. I knew I wanted to study abroad.

Studying abroad, I could take an intensive class in Chinese. This complimented getting to know myself. I spoke Mandarin when I was a kid. I came over from Taiwan when I was four years old. But I grew up in a predominantly white community, and I was confused. When we would travel to Taiwan, I didn’t really fit in and when I was in the U.S., I didn’t really fit in. It wasn’t that I didn’t fit in anywhere, it was that I didn’t know myself. I chose Singapore because there were not a lot of options in Asia at the time. I wanted to speak Mandarin and I could do that there. And I liked the fact that Singapore was a very sophisticated country, and it was also a good landing place to travel to the rest of Southeast Asia.

IES Abroad: What were some of the most influential memories from your time in Singapore?

SC: The greatest memory was being a part of the community with my floor. When you first got there, you were with other American students. Then, all of the sudden this experience to assimilate with other Americans went away. They separated us and put us all in separate dorms. At first, we were all very upset. But it ended up being the best part of the program. My most amazing, wonderful, defining experiences was assimilating with my hall, my floor, my dorm, and becoming part of that micro-culture.

When it was time for me to say goodbye, these girls on my floor all got together and gave me a surprise party. I will never forget it to this day. When had I arrived, I thought, “I am different from these girls.” And then I quickly realized how much we all were the same. I still get emotional thinking about it. Forcing us apart from our group was so powerful. That’s what college is about. What really defines you are the relationships you make.

IES Abroad: You had traveled overseas with your family before studying abroad. You had been to Taiwan and other places. How was studying abroad different?

SC: It’s totally different. I tell everyone that they have to have this experience. You are just becoming an adult. The study abroad experience forces you to become that adult. You have to get to know yourself to make this a great experience for you. That is probably the most powerful component of a study abroad experience. You are thrown into a situation. You are forced to adapt, be flexible, etc. These are all the qualities that are so important in your 30s, your 40s, and as you are an adult and a professional. You develop these qualities when you are abroad.

IES Abroad: How did you change the most during your time in Singapore? Did the experience shape the way you think in a profound way today?

SC: I was going into a country with very different political views, ideologies, and laws. When you are younger, you are little rebellious and you think you know what is right and wrong. Going to a country that is very different and has very different rules, it makes you think about things in a different way. Whether right or wrong, the world has different perspectives. When I arrived, I remember thinking, “I’m going to stir things up!” But the girls on my floor looked at me like I was crazy. They just didn’t do things that way. The cultural rules were different. Being in Singapore, I quickly realized that there are different perspectives. I may not have to agree, but I have to respect them.

IES Abroad: NOVA is a family business, started by your uncles as a leading medical manufacturer in Taiwan. How did you decide to assume this role as CEO and launch NOVA Medical Products in the U.S.?

SC: My story is rather humble. I was sure that going through college, I would come out with a career plan that was set. I was voted most likely to succeed out of high school. So I was shocked that I graduated with an Asian Studies major, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was so upset at myself that I didn’t have a plan. I started taking the LSAT and GMAT and thinking about continuing my education. I took a job. As I was studying and working, I was offered the opportunity to start NOVA in the U.S. How I came to found the company was very unglamorous. It was humbling. I graduated and didn’t have a plan. But what did happen, the way it happened, is the best thing. And I got to know myself.

IES Abroad:  Were there lessons learned in Singapore that helped you in the early days of your career as a young, female CEO in a male-dominated family business and industry?

SC: When I was in Singapore, I sounded American but I looked Chinese. It was constantly confusing. Then I realized, that’s just my story. Everyone has a story. When I left, I had made so many amazing relationships. What I learned was connection. And connecting people. Trust. Getting to know someone and learning and trusting. With my company, I did the exact same thing. Connecting with people, getting to know them. I didn’t know a lot about the technical side, but I connected with people, learned about them and learned the business. It is my love of connecting with people that continues to shape this company. Every amazing thing we have ever done was the result of human connections.

IES Abroad: Do you feel that your experience in Singapore continues to have an influence on you professionally today?

SC: There’s no question it does. There is a skill set you develop when you are abroad. When you are young, your brain is still being wired. There is a confidence and a courage and a fearlessness that starts becoming part of your wiring when you are in a new place and begin experiencing new adventures. Today, as a business leader who wants to make change, it requires this fearlessness and courage. I absolutely attribute those experiences in Singapore to learning all those things you need today to run a company, or be successful, in whatever way you define it. That wiring started back then.

IES Abroad: You have many impressive accolades, among them being named by Fortune as one of the “Ten Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs” in 2011; by Ernst and Young as a finalist for the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012; and by Forty over 40 as one of “40 Women to Watch over 40” in 2014. When you think of your company and yourself professionally, what are you most proud of?

SC: Yesterday, I met a WWII hero. We provided him with a mobility device that has given him his freedom back. I have this calling that we can do more to support our veterans and their mobility. Freedom was on their shoulders back in WWII. I want to provide mobility to all of these veterans and to all these folks who are still here. My proudest moment of running this company and being CEO is that it allows me to do these amazing things, like create little miracles. The veterans are my proudest moment.

IES Abroad: You are active in several organizations focused on shark conservation and empowering physically challenged people. How did you get interested in these causes and what drives your passion?

SC: I did a TED talk at the end of February – “Sharks Saved My Life. What Will Save You?” – that is along these lines. I’m a Christian and I believe God is calling me to do this. I kept feeling called to save sharks. I had just started diving and had had a few encounters. At first, it didn’t make sense. But sharks came at a very dark time in my life and got me back on track when I was going through a very hard time with my company and my now ex-husband. Everyone has their emotional bucket. When I become passionate about one thing, it fuels me up for my company and for other parts of my life. It’s all interrelated. I’ve run this company for 22 years and I am still so grateful and passionate. I attribute that to going where your calling is.

IES Abroad: Is there anything further you would like to tell us about Sue Chen the CEO or Sue Chen the activist, and how your study abroad in Singapore has influenced you?

SC: If my 44 year-old self were talking to my 20 year-old self, I would say: “You made a really good decision to go a do a study abroad program.” It has shaped who I am today.

IES Abroad: Is there any fun fact that you would like to share about yourself?

SC: My experience in Singapore also made me the foodie I am today.

Ever since freshman year at the University of Missouri, Deborah “Debbie” Schuler dreamed of studying abroad. When junior year came around, she packed up and went to Durham for the entire academic year, intrigued by the opportunity to attend classes at Durham University with local students in a shared language. Meeting new people and finding herself challenged by new ideas, she not only found the experience enjoyable, but she was inspired to pursue a career working overseas. After receiving her MBA, Debbie embarked on a career in international finance. She found that her previous experience abroad, especially as a woman, gave her a leg up, and she was transferred to Singapore with Continental Bank in 1981. Most recently, Debbie worked at Moody’s Corporation where she served as Senior Vice President and Group Credit Officer for the rating of financial intuitions in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Having lived and worked abroad for most of her career, Debbie is now retired and living back in the U.S. She is eager to help other students embark on their own life-changing study abroad adventures and recently made a bequest to establish the Deborah Schuler Scholarship at IES Abroad to support students with financial need. In our interview, Debbie shares her story with us.

IES Abroad: How did you hear about IES Abroad and what motivated you to study in Durham?

Deborah Schuler: I heard about IES Abroad at the Office of International Studies at the University of Missouri. I had dreamed of a junior year abroad for years, so I sought out information my freshman year. I chose Durham because: a) it was a full academic year program, b) IES Abroad students attended regular Durham University classes with local students, and c) the shared language allowed me to study at a higher level than I was capable of in a foreign language.

IES Abroad: What are one or two of your most impactful study abroad memories?

DS: First was just how much history there was all around me, compared with how little history we have in the U.S. And second, how much I enjoyed meeting new people and being challenged by new ideas and ways of doing things – so much so, that I decided I wanted to equip myself to work overseas when I graduated.

IES Abroad: How did you change most during your time in Durham? 

DS: I grew up. I proved to myself that I could handle awkward situations in places I couldn’t even speak the language. That gave me the confidence that I really was as capable as I had told my parents I was.

IES Abroad: Early on in your career, you worked for Continental Bank and were transferred to Singapore. How did studying abroad help prepare you for working internationally?  

DS: Most importantly, it was a key factor in getting me the opportunity. Failed international transfers are expensive and companies try to avoid them. In 1981, women were still often considered too delicate to handle foreign lands. My year abroad removed that obstacle. And once I arrived, I was prepared to be flexible in all the little things – food, date formats, toilet paper, etc. – and I was able to focus on the work and building a new network of friends.

IES Abroad: You went on to work for Moody’s Corporation where you served as Senior Vice President and Group Credit Officer for the rating of financial intuitions in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Were there skills learned while abroad that were particularly useful in order to be successful in your career?

DS: When the Middle East and Africa were added to my responsibilities, one manager mentioned that a consideration had been that I didn’t “freak out in emerging markets.” But seriously, every step I took –and they were sometimes small – added to my ability to do the job, even in the most foreign and more logistically-difficult places. If you keep pushing a step or two beyond your comfort zone, eventually you can be comfortable almost anywhere.

IES Abroad: You recently made a bequest that will establish the Deborah Schuler Scholarship at IES Abroad to provide support to students with financial need. What inspired you to create this fund?  

DS: Having spent most of my working life either overseas or working internationally, I have grown concerned about the small proportion of Americans who spend any time outside the U.S. and how parochial Americans often can be. The U.S. is a global power, and its businesses operate in the global economy. I believe that it is vitally important that both our future leaders and we, members of the U.S. electorate, have material, first-hand experience of other countries. On a more personal level, I think the world is a fascinating place to live and work. My study abroad experience was a key factor in setting the course for my career and life. I would like to give others the chance to share the fun and excitement of discovering how to live and work abroad.

IES Abroad: In 2017, you are planning to attend IES Abroad’s first ever Alumni Weekend in Durham. What are you most looking forward to about this event?

DS: Meeting my fellow classmates and those like-minded souls from all the other Durham classes in that ancient and dearly loved city. My most recent visit to Durham was in 1996. I was working in London from 1994-1996 and introduced my parents and my aunt to Durham in that period.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students today who are interested in studying or interning abroad?

DS: Get serious about learning a foreign language, now. Start your planning early and find the longest (in months abroad) program that you can afford and that suits your educational needs. Go for it!

Fascinated by the events and debates leading up to the establishment of the European Union, Faye Sahai studied abroad in Freiburg to see history unfolding first-hand. The experience reinforced her appreciation for diversity and curiosity about the unknown, giving her skills that helped launch her career in innovation. For more than 20 years, Faye has led innovation and strategic initiatives at companies including Blue Shield, Deloitte, Charles Schwab, Disney, HP, Kaiser Permanente, and Toyota. Today, Faye serves as Global Head of Innovation and Digital Business Centers at AIG and is an advocate for diversity in the workplace. Read on to learn how study abroad helped Faye prepare for a global career and why she believes diversity is a driving force for innovative thought.

IES Abroad: As an undergraduate at Claremont McKenna College, why did you choose to study abroad in Freiburg?

Faye Sahai: I was really interested in the Freiburg program because it was studying the European Community market. It was not just about that one country but how a group of countries were going to emerge as a new market. It was a chance to explore the process at that period of time. It has been wonderful to reflect upon that experience now given the European situation and their questioning of where they are going. So, the socio-political situation and the opportunity to visit several of those countries as part of the program is really what attracted me to the Freiburg program, in particular.

IES Abroad: What are some of your greatest memories from your time in Freiburg?

FS: It was a wonderful program! The people who were selected were very diverse. There were people with multiple interests and representing various universities from Italy and different parts of the U.S. The comradery of living together in a big house and exploring Europe and the education system together were tremendous. I found the professors very intriguing. Having both verbal and written final exams was interesting.

One memory in particular stands out. It was right before midterms, and we said we would all go to Italy, where we had never been. As luck would have it, Pope John Paul II came out and canonized someone as a saint while we were at the Vatican. I’m saying to myself, “How many places can you see this! I’ve got midterms next week, but I think that it is really important to see the new saint in Italy!” We actually got to see the Pope, and it was amazing. We then came back and studied for our midterms. We all did well. The Pope had blessed us! It was a really unique opportunity.

IES Abroad: In 1988, the Single European Act was just coming into being, and the heart of the discussions and debates leading up to the establishment of the European Union were taking place. How did this impact your experience in Freiburg?

FS: It was an exciting time. We saw a moment in history. We got to study it. We got to see the countries, hear the debate, and learn from the different perspectives. The countries involved had very different perspectives. For example, England’s perspective was very different from Spain’s perspective. And to actually visit those countries to see the different perspectives was really interesting. Freiburg, of course, is so centrally located that we easily could go to other countries.

IES Abroad: In what ways did study abroad impact your career path as an innovator?

FS: Study abroad confirmed my love of travel, my interest in other countries, and my respect for other cultures. I have a global role here at AIG looking at global innovation. Having lived and studied abroad, I have a respect for the different business practices and the nuances as I work towards different perspectives, whether I’m going to Europe or Japan or the Middle East. I’m better prepared to view how businesses and people operate, having developed a heightened sense of empathy and close observation skills. It has helped to develop my skill set. When you are studying abroad, you are going to the unknown. As an innovator, you have to take risks and go to the unknown. For me, I have always loved that part of it – that exploring, that learning something new, that learning a new skill set, that taking crash courses in German to be able to communicate (I went to Freiburg speaking no German).

IES Abroad: You have worked tirelessly to bring diversity to the workforce. What advantages do you see in study abroad for people who want to maximize their potential?

FS: Study abroad is a wonderful opportunity for people to stretch, to challenge themselves in a new environment – learning a passion, a commitment, an area of topic, learning from a different culture. I’m a strong advocate for diversity and cross cultural understanding. Studying abroad adds a whole other nuance to diversity. I think we get more innovative ideas and a better result when we are more diverse. You have diversity of thought, diversity of experience, diversity of skill set and perspectives that enrich a solution and where you are going. For some, it can be the challenge of it, too, because you have diversity of opinion and not all agree. The richness of the results comes from this diversity. You learn so much from it.

IES Abroad: You are passionate about traveling with your family. Has your experience abroad shaped how you raise your children?

FS: I think that it is the appreciation of different circumstances, traveling, and other cultures. Studying abroad is an education in itself. It helps you to grow your perspective, understand others, and empathize. Especially in this day and age, with our virtual communications and how we are engaging digitally, the world is shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller. Understanding others and cultures is so important. I thought that it was very important for my kids from a young age, since they were one, to travel every year. They are very travel-hearty! Raising my children in Silicon Valley, there are wonderful resources here, but it is, in a sense, a bubble. I have encouraged my children to study abroad when they are in college. So travel is that much more important.

My parents emigrated here from Thailand. I grew up in an immigrant family where they said you have to work twice as hard. You have to learn the perspective of the country you are in and understand that. I married someone who was born in India and raised in Brazil. His family is all around the world, too. Many of our vacations are visiting family all around the world. We made a commitment as a family to explore a different country every year. It is an important education process for our children, having them be aware of different cultures, countries, and history.

IES Abroad: What advice do you have for students considering studying abroad today?

FS: Go for it! Whether it is a country, a topic or an experience that you are craving, something you dreamed of, something that interests you, use this time. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore and to dive into culture and environment, to live there for a period of time. It is very different than touring a country or going on vacation. To actually live there, study there, be with your peers there, and explore for an extended period of time is an experience that everyone should have.