Study Abroad Program Provides Culture Shift

Explore, experience and embrace: These were the goals of Anna Cogbill as she headed to France with the College of Charleston–sponsored program in La Rochelle. Cogbill, a French and Francophone studies and communication double major, spent the fall 2023 semester abroad to further her studies and immerse herself in French culture. 

The Kathleen Hudson Rivers Foreign Language Scholarship helped make it possible. “It gave me the opportunity to communicate and empathize with an entirely new world than the one I’ve grown up knowing,” says Cogbill. 

To explore a culture different from your own is a life-altering experience, one that drove Kathleen Hudson Carroll (née Rivers) to establish her scholarship. Cogbill’s desire to become a more well-rounded French speaker is just what Carroll was looking for when she set her sights on supporting students who live with a host family while studying abroad in France or Italy. 

“When I was only 16, I was fortunate to receive a scholarship for a summer abroad, and the experience was transformational,” recalls Carroll. “I believe the real way to learn a second language is to immerse in it.” 

A past recipient of the scholarship, Jack Watson ’24, participated in the La Rochelle program in fall 2022. Not only did he explore the cities of France’s Charente-Maritime region, but he also traveled to Barcelona and Amsterdam to further experience Europe. In the classroom, he had the opportunity to engage with classmates from countries including Indonesia, South Korea, Colombia and Ecuador. 

“The most meaningful aspects came from connecting with people during my travels and in the classroom,” says Watson. “I learned much about myself and the world through constant interaction with unfamiliar ways of living and being.” 

Carroll looks forward to helping a new generation of students to study abroad. “I was able to learn a new language, a new culture, a way of living with people whose habits were different than mine, and I have never forgotten it,” she says. “I want that opportunity for other students.” 

Cogbill is extremely grateful for the chance to have had similar experiences. A lover of French art and history, she explored museums, churches, historic sites and surrounding cities.  

“The scholarship was invaluable,” she says. “It gave me not only this shining opportunity, but an overwhelming feeling of connection as though the memories of past adventure and those who hold them
are urging me forward.” – Alex Tolle