UWA’s Beaird and Fulton study abroad in Geneva, Switzerland

Whitney Fulton (left) and Kaitlynn Beaird (right), both from the University of West Alabama’s Integrated Marketing Communications program, recently completed a semester studying abroad in Geneva Switzerland at Haute école de gestion de Genève. Beaird, a junior at UWA, is a Dora, Ala., native. Fulton, a senior at UWA, is a Wetumpka, Ala., native. (Contributed)
Whitney Fulton (left) and Kaitlynn Beaird (right), both from the University of West Alabama’s Integrated Marketing Communications program, recently completed a semester studying abroad in Geneva Switzerland at Haute école de gestion de Genève. Beaird, a junior at UWA, is a Dora, Ala., native. Fulton, a senior at UWA, is a Wetumpka, Ala., native. (Contributed)

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—Two students from the University of West Alabama’s Integrated Marketing Communications program recently completed a semester studying abroad in Geneva Switzerland. Kaitlynn Beaird and Whitney Fulton attended Haute école de gestion de Genève (HEG) from Feb.-June 2016 for the spring semester.

“Kaitlynn and Whitney were the first IMC students at UWA to experience a semester abroad. They were able to complete a semester of marketing and communications courses,” said Dr. Amy Jones, academic advisor for both Beaird and Fulton and director of the IMC program.

According to Fulton, a senior at UWA, during her semester in Switzerland she completed 11 classes in international business that will apply to her degree program at UWA in IMC. Fulton said that she is “grateful to have been one of the first IMC students from UWA to study abroad.”

The students both qualified for the experience based upon GPA, and they received a scholarship to assist with the cost of their flights. While abroad, both Beaird and Fulton were able to experience more than just the classroom while in Switzerland.

“The courses were offered during the week, and they spent several weekends traveling around Europe,” Jones said. “This experience should make them highly competitive for jobs, as they successfully navigated a new country, a new language, and a host of international communications courses.”

According to Beaird, a junior at UWA, she and Fulton were able to visit Paris, Rome, Florence, Berlin, Amsterdam, and many other local cities surrounding Switzerland.

“Studying abroad enabled me to see the world in an unimaginable, eye-opening way,” Beaird said. “Without the help and support of UWA’s amazing faculty and staff, I would have never been able to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that studying in Geneva, Switzerland offered.”

According to UWA’s College of Liberal Arts Dean Dr. Mark Davis, Beaird and Fulton both represented their major, the College of Liberal Arts, and UWA extremely well during their time in Geneva.

“I’m so proud of Kaitlynn and Whitney,” Davis said. “They took full advantage of the wonderful opportunity to study in one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. They can both attest to the rewarding benefits of studying abroad that go well beyond the classroom. They are an inspiration to their fellow classmates, and they should be very proud of what they accomplished.”

To learn more about opportunities available through UWA’s Integrated Marketing Communications program, contact Dr. Amy Jones via email ajones@uwa.edu or call 205-652-3558.