From the February 2014 Desktop News | Two College of Arts and Sciences students were recently named UA Away scholars by UA’s Division of Student Affairs. As UA Away scholars, the students received scholarships to study and receive on-the-job training abroad.

Anna Woods, a senior majoring in French, is currently spending the semester in Croatia, where she is exploring a career in international diplomacy. Woods is taking international relations courses from former diplomats at Dubrovnik International University, a school with only 80 students.

“Because DIU is a very small school … they have assembled an exceptional staff and an environment where students have close contact with professionals who are highly experienced in their field,” Woods said. “I will be taking Comparative Political Systems with a professor who taught for 30 years at Harvard Business School, and my teacher for International Security and Peace is Lord Jack McConnell, the youngest and longest-serving First Minister of Scotland.”

Woods said she hopes to gain knowledge and advice from her professors to decide her next step, whether that’s pursuing a master’s degree in international relations, finding an internship with the United Nations or doing something else entirely.

She received a $1,000 UA Away scholarship and said the award gave her an opportunity she couldn’t have afforded otherwise.

“Living and studying in Europe is an opportunity few can ever enjoy,” she said. “I am living in what some would rate the most beautiful city in Europe. My school shares a building with a Dominican monastery from the Middle Ages, and one of my professors is a Scottish Lord. The UA Away award makes all of this possible. It feels like pure gold.”

Luckie Milad, a junior majoring in biology, also received a UA Away scholarship. Milad is enrolled in a program that allows her to fulfill core course requirements in science without falling behind in her major coursework. She received a $1,500 UA Away scholarship and is currently studying at the Euro American Institute in Antibes, France.

For more information about study away and work away, visit Capstone International online at international.ua.edu. To learn about serve away opportunities, visit the Community Service Center online at volunteer.ua.edu. UA Away scholarship applications will be available in the spring for summer and fall work, serve and study away programs at sa.ua.edu.