Hey there SPU! For the inaugural week of Her Campus at SPU, we decided to see what students were up to this summer. Every summer students study abroad in a variety of exciting places, so this week we decided to highlight a Campus Cutie that spent some time this summer studying abroad and experiencing another culture. Our first campus cutie is Spencer Shaffer class of 2017! Let’s get to know our first SPU Campus Cutie:
(photo by Spencer Shaffer)
Name: Spencer Shaffer
Age: 21
Hometown: Tigard, OR
Year of Graduation: 2017
Major/Minor: Double major in applied human biology and special education, with an exercise science minor
Relationship Status: “Single and loving it!”
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter
Favorite Music: Anything Taylor Swift
Hobbies: I enjoy reading, watching movies and doing yoga in my spare time
Where did you study abroad and for how long?
I studied abroad in Rome, Italy for 4 weeks.
Why did you choose to study where you did?
I chose to go to Italy because I have always loved learning about the Italian Renaissance and I have always wanted to travel to Italy. It is a life goal of mine to learn how to speak Italian.
What subject did you study?
I studied art history.
What was your favorite memory of your time abroad?
My favorite memory from my study abroad would have to be the weekend that some of the girls on the trip and I traveled to Venice and Milan. It was such a surreal experience and the girls that I met on this trip have bonded us for life through our experiences.
Did you learn anything about yourself?
I learned a lot about myself on this trip, but one thing I really took away from this trip was that just because I normally don’t get homesick doesn’t mean I would never experience it. Homesickness kind of hit me out of the blue on this trip but I learned to accept it and tried to keep myself busy as to not focus on missing home so much. Luckily it didn’t last for too long and I was able to really enjoy myself and the beauty of Italy.
Would you recommend studying abroad to other SPU students?
I would absolutely recommend studying abroad to other SPU students because it can broaden your horizons on what the rest of the world is like which can be hard when we get stuck in our little SPU bubble.