2021 Jayhawk Planet
![students studying abroad in Thailand](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2022/RVYM5823%20%281%29.jpg)
Study Abroad Returns Despite Continued Presence of COVID-19
Resuming international travel in the midst of a constantly changing pandemic was not without challenges, but 2021 demonstrated that education abroad during COVID-19 is possible and remains a transformational learning experience for students.![SAGE Staff outside of Fraser Hall](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2022/for%20frasier.jpg)
SAGE Staff Named 2020-21 KU Team of the Year
KU Study Abroad & Global Engagement was named the 2020-21 KU Team of the Year in recognition of the staff’s herculean efforts to safely bring home students studying abroad and pivot programming for students who could no longer travel abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic.![student paragliding in Italy](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2022/FullSizeRender.jpg)
Seeing COVID Through a New Lens
Rather than viewing the COVID-19 pandemic as an obstacle to their international education plans, study abroad participants recognized a unique opportunity to see COVID and COVID response through a different cultural lens.![Student visiting Montserrat, Catalonia.](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2022/avawebsite.jpg)
International Education at Home and Abroad
Ava Cormaney always knew that she wanted to study abroad during her undergraduate career. Originally from Lawrence, Cormaney graduated from KU in August 2021 with a degree in Spanish and a focus on pre-physician assistant studies. She decided to pursue a study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking location to improve her foreign language fluency, a skill that would translate well to her career post-graduation.![Hodgie Bricke outside the Taj Mahal.](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2022/hodgiewebsite.jpg)
Honoring Hodgie Bricke
Hodgie’s commitment to international education remained constant throughout her three decades at KU. She retired from KU in 2012 as Assistant Vice Provost for International Programs but remained a strong ally until her death in 2020. Family and friends are honoring her passion for international travel and education with the Hodgie Bricke Memorial Scholarship Fund.2020 Jayhawk Planet
The Impact of COVID-19 on Education Abroad
As COVID-19 rapidly spread around the world during the spring semester, Study Abroad & Global Engagement (SAGE) worked diligently to safely return nearly 200 KU undergraduate students who had been pursuing educational opportunities in 25 countries around the world.![students abroad in Costa Rica](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2021/CostaRica3.jpg)
Cross-Departmental Collaboration Provides Greater Access to Study Abroad
SAGE has partnered with TRIO SES & STEM (TRIO) to provide targeted advising and programming to better meet the needs of students in underrepresented communities.Scholarships Enable Student to Study Abroad Three Times
Shannon Kirkman, a senior at KU, attributes her ability to study abroad multiple times to the funding she received for each of her education abroad experiences.![students in Berlin](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2021/Bundestag%20Berlin.jpg)
36 Years of Promoting and Preserving German
Bill Keel began his teaching career at KU in 1978 and in 1980 led his first Summer Language Institute. During his tenure leading the Summer Language Institutes, Keel has taken a total of 700 undergraduate students to Germany.![photo of students in Morocco](/sites/studyabroad/files/images/2021/Morocco1.jpg)