Hello everyone. My name is Kyle Rudd, and I am a junior at the University of South Florida. I’m working toward a triple major in International Relations, Political Science, and Economics.
This is my third week back in the United States, after spending the last seven months living and studying in the United Kingdom. Thanks to the University of South Florida, I was presented with two of the most life-changing opportunities of my life. From January to June, I studied at the University of Exeter, and from July to August, I conducted research at the University of Cambridge.
There’s a common misconception that studying abroad is just a semester of relaxing on a beach—I could not disagree more. In just seven months, I met a knighted former director of MI6, the head of the FBI’s London office, and numerous diplomats and industry professionals. I am confident that these were experiences that would be nearly impossible to replicate in any other setting.
My journey began on January 11th, when I arrived at the University of Exeter. Going into this program, I had no idea what to expect. While I have watched countless YouTube videos and read every blog post, there is genuinely no way to understand what to expect without experiencing it for yourself. My program was unique for USF students: I would be taking three classes at the University of Exeter while also taking two courses with a USF professor.
When you study subjects like International Relations and Economics, getting a perspective from outside your own bubble is difficult. It’s hard to truly put yourself in the shoes of a European student learning about the Russia-Ukraine war while sitting in a classroom across the Atlantic Ocean. But you get a completely different perspective when you are sitting alongside a school of European students, hearing their thoughts and lived experiences firsthand. These are the conversations and connections that make studying abroad so valuable.
Of course, when you make the journey across the Atlantic, you’re going to want to travel as well. My friends and I set out to visit as many countries as possible in a short amount of time. We flew to Norway and road-tripped all the way down to Italy, hitting 15 different countries in just six weeks. We ended up in Rome for Easter, at the winter markets in France, and driving on the autobahn in Germany.
Along the way, we met some incredible people. At a rest stop in Switzerland, we befriended several Ukrainian refugees. In the Vatican, we spoke with a nun from Africa, and in a small pub, we met a bartender from a town of 200 people. I am not exaggerating when I say that I met more people from all walks of life in these six weeks than in the last 20 years of my life.
While I was sitting in my dorm at the University of Exeter, the Academic Director of the Global and National Security Institute called. He was actually calling to notify me that they were sending me to research at the University of Cambridge on a fully funded program. This was my first time doing research, and what better place to do it than at Cambridge, alongside students from every continent who share my interest in national security?
I chose to research cyber-hacking prevention measures, particularly as they relate to the United Kingdom and the United States. Over the course of four weeks, I spent every day talking with other researchers, each with a different background and set of skills. I attended lectures by CIA agents, former Chiefs of Missions to some of the world’s most turbulent countries, and quantum scientists. I used all of this knowledge, alongside traditional research, to draft my paper.
The result was a 3,500-word essay discussing how our two governments can collaborate to prevent the hacking of critical infrastructure. The only reason I was able to make these connections and learn so much was because of the Global and National Security Institute. I can’t thank them enough. They’ve actually entered into an agreement to send up to six students to the program next year, depending on funding.
Ultimately, these past seven months have changed me in more ways than I could have imagined. From networking at USF’s London celebration to touring the U.S. embassy and having philosophical walks along the Jurassic Coast, these study abroad opportunities opened so many doors for me- academically, professionally, and simply for lifelong friendships.
Thank you.
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