Jordan Colella, Hawaii
Human Nutrition | Nicholasville, Ky.
Studying away from UK’s campus doesn’t have to mean going outside the United States. Jordan Colella had an incredible experience on a department-led trip to Hawaii.
One of several study away options through the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, the two-week trip takes students to two Hawaiian islands — Oahu and Hawai’i — because one is the state's highest-rated island in health outcomes, while the other is the lowest.
Traveling to and studying in Hawaii showed Colella that the perspective he has learned isn’t the only one, which will help him as he begins pharmacy school.
“The Hawaiian culture doesn't necessarily see health as something to be done by technology, but rather as something to be focused on by the entire community,” Colella said.
Colella is so grateful for his experience and recommends it to any interested student. “You get taught something, but you also get confidence."
He also formed valuable relationships with the UK faculty members who led the trip and with his fellow students. Nearly three years later, relationships that were formed on a two-week trip are still impactful.
I think the biggest thing I got out of it was just to sit back and look at other perspectives and other cultures before I jump in and make a decision based on what I know.
