Emily Warner is a junior from Sherwood, Oregon studying elementary education and history. She is studying abroad in Galway, Ireland.

“Studying abroad is really beneficial for education majors and makes you a more desirable candidate when applying for teaching positions, so although I am not taking education credits while abroad, it is going to help me in the future,” Warner said.

Warner knew she wanted to study in Europe, but also did not want to live in a large city.

Galway was the perfect combination of the two.

Her love of history was also what brought her to this location. Studying in Ireland will help Warner complete her history major.

Warner said Linfield’s study abroad program influenced her decision to apply to the college.

She said that she had wanted to study abroad since she was in middle school and prioritized schools with strong international programs during her application process.

“When it came time to choose a school, [studying abroad] was on my mind, and knowing that my flight would be paid for was an added bonus. Linfield seemed like the best option for me to make this a reality.”

Warner said that the application process was fairly straightforward. She said that spending time on the application and actually preparing for the interview made the process easier.

Warner said that because this was her first time out of the country, she did feel a little nervous.

This is her first time both studying abroad and being outside of the United States.

Warner said that despite her family being nervous of her decision to go abroad they were overall supportive.

She said her parents did not have the same opportunity and wanted her to take advantage of it. Warner said that her family knew it would be a growing experience for her.

Warner’s faculty advisor, Pam Pearson, was instrumental in helping her get to the point where she could study abroad.

Pearson pushed Warner to apply to go abroad and helped her craft a four-year plan that would enable her to do so.

“I would tell someone who wants to study abroad to just go for it,” Warner said.

“It is nerve wracking at first, but it has been the best experience for me. As someone who went to college 30 minutes from home, it terrified me to move across the world, but I have grown a lot.”

Her favorite thing she has done abroad so far was the Irish language course she took on a whim. She said the language is difficult but she enjoys the challenge.

Warner wants to have a decent grasp of the Irish language by the time she returns to Linfield. However, she does not expect to become fluent.

Warner said that before she arrived in Ireland, she thought it would be harder for her to adapt to the change in lifestyle.

What she found was that life was not so different there from living in Oregon. She said it has been easy for her to adjust to her new home.