Study Abroad is an important part of the student experience at Macalester. Approximately 60% of Macalester's students study abroad while at Macalester.

Macalester Women's Soccer has seven women studying abroad this term in the following places: Ireland, Italy, Denmark, New Zealand, Mali, Bolivia and Ecuador. Here is our first Study Abroad Profile sent to us by Lucy Miner.

To see where women's soccer players find themselves this year and last year with links to their blogs and profiles, click here for a map.

Miner:

"I am in Kaiaua, one hour Southeast of Auckland on the Firth of Thames, on the North Island of New Zealand. My study abroad program, affiliated with the University of New Hampshire, called EcoQuest, is a unique, applied field studies experience focusing on Ecology, Resource Management, and Environmental Policy of New Zealand. Although our campus is in the small town of Kaiaua, almost every other week my 24 fellow students and I get to explore some of New Zealand's incredible mountain ranges, estuaries, marine reserves, shorebird centers, beaches, and gold mines, learning new things all the time, rarely in a classroom setting. I am majoring in Geology and minoring in Biology, though my passion for the environment and integrated, experiential learning styles drew me to EcoQuest.

"My experiences in New Zealand have provided me with all sorts of issues to ponder. Most notably is the idea of sustainability, which I've learned, cannot be managed on a large scale without taking into account ecology, society, and the economy. I appreciate learning about the government/policy side of resource management as it is completely new to me but very important. Sustaining natural resources is inevitably going to be a big issue as the population keeps growing and I believe that educating people and spreading awareness about ways to live more sustainably is the key to keeping this planet healthy for the future. We all know that clean water is becoming a serious issue all over the world and who wouldn't want to use less water in the bathroom if they could? One thing I've been wondering about is why don't toilets in the United States have a half flush and a full flush?! Nearly every toilet I've seen in New Zealand uses less water by providing that option. What's the deal USA?

"I have played a couple 4 v 4 games with some other students on my program, though they don't come close to being as fun as pickup games in the field house at Mac. New Zealand is really pumped to be hosting the Rugby World Cup this fall and I am hoping to go to a local rugby game later in April if my schedule permits it!"

More Macalester profiles