'Study Abroad' eliminates fears, doubts of overseas education
By CHHUN SUN
With the spring semester already in motion, summer seems like a long
time for now.
But sooner or later, it will be on students’ minds.
“What will I do this summer?” is a question that will come
into play as the semester dwindles down.
One option is, perhaps, studying abroad.
This is an opportunity for college students to earn school credit while
learning a new lifestyle and language, and experiencing a foreign country.
But that concept can cause doubts and uncertainties.
That’s why Mary Offord wants to make studying abroad simple for
students.
The Fresno State graduate student wrote “Study Abroad: Travel &
Vacation in College,” as a way to pass her message along to any
student that he or she can have a memorable time, too. The 142-page book
covers seven different aspects of studying abroad, from finding the money
to travel, to making your stay productive and fun.
“This is a comprehensive guide that takes students step by step
from ‘just thinking about it’ to arriving, adjusting and thriving
in a foreign land,” said Offord about the book’s purpose.
The book, which Offord wrote under the pen-name Stephanie M. Oxford, was
an outlet to take Offord’s aspiration of becoming a writer and taking
experience in traveling and put it in a book.
“There wasn’t a book out on the market simple and easy enough,”
Offord said about studying abroad. “It’s difficult to travel
and vacation overseas through study abroad.”
Offord first started traveling in the mid-90s.
“I always wanted to visit Europe and learn,” Offord said.
Then she learned that she could combine the two. She traveled two years
in eight foreign countries: Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, the Czech
Republic, England, Austria and Germany.
Her visits ignited another passion — writing.
After years of working full-time, attending various colleges and working
as an administrative assistant in career services at Northwestern School
of Law, Offord needed a change. That change started to take form when
she attended Fresno State, enrolling in the master’s of business
administration program in the spring 2004 semester.
Her first move was to start her own publishing company, called Where in
the World Publishing. She teamed up with Diana Peck, who is now the public
relation director for the publishing company.
“Stephanie is a writer who understands her readers,” Peck
said. “Stephanie returned to college to pursue her dream of studying
abroad after years of unsatisfying work. As she investigated her options
for studying abroad, she was juggling work, studies and social commitments.
She found that what she really needed was a concise, easy-to-read book
that gave her the information in a clear, condensed version. And that's
exactly what she produced for students interested in studying abroad.”
After the book’s release, Offord has three others books in the making
that address the issue of studying abroad.
Her current book is available at www.studyabroadbooks.com. The book will
be available nationally starting Jan. 31.
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