'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.