30th Anniversary History Book

Some of the students hop on a plane or train and go from Florence to Paris or Amsterdam. Mann, a psychology major graduating in 2020, has a nonverbal learning disability. The Northridge, Calif., student remembers her study abroad time as “the most amazing experience I’ve ever had.” “We got to live in Italy for three months and actually experience what it’s like to be Italian.” For Isabela Chavez, the shared experience impressed her. The psychology major, who has auditory processing issues and mild ADHD, is from Yuma, Ariz. During her Tuscan semester, she met Beacon students she didn’t know from her classes.

“Being able to bond with one another, forming great friendships and experiencing the culture were just a great experience,” said Chavez, 20. Because of the popularity of Beacon’s Tuscany program, the college is planning to introduce other study-abroad opportunities, including a semester in Puerto Rico for anthrozoology majors and other interested students. Oksana Hagerty calls the students’ return from studying abroad her “best moment.” “I see a different person,” she said, “a confident individual who has independence and a calm about them because they’ve now traveled outside the country without their parents by their side. They now know they can do things they never thought possible.”

Beacon in Tuscany students tour Prato.

“Our job is to take students as they come to us and begin to really allow them to become independent and responsible individuals who understand that they have to operate in an interdependent world.” – President Hager ty

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