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Integrating the Experience

Instagram Takeovers

Instagram Takeover

Share your study abroad experience on GLO's Instagram! Host a one-day Instagram stories takeover and show off what a day in your life looks like while studying abroad. Interested? Contact laura.johnson@northwestern.edu to learn more. Check out past Instagram takeovers!

GLObal Co-Lab

Participate in the GLObal Co-Lab! This peer-to-peer, virtually collaborative learning opportunity during fall term can enhance your study abroad experience. 

The program will take place virtually across program locations, during the Fall.

Through the program, you will:  

  • Join a global network of Northwestern students abroad and create a collaborative visual project across continents.
  • Reflect on economic, political, social, and cultural differences across countries.
  • Collaborate in groups across countries to examine how themes are similar/different in different locations.
  • Become a cultural photographer and photoessayist.

During the program, you will be expected to: 

  • Photograph moments of cultural immersion that prioritizes reciprocal learning and mutual respect that also focuses on a specific theme chosen by your respective group. Possible topics include:
    • Cultural Immersion/Living Like a Local
    • Decolonizing Travel and Tourism
    • Environmental Justice and Sustainability
    • Community Engagement
    • Student Voices
  • Commit to three synchronous check-ins with the program lead and the cohort to discuss the progress of your projects, including group reflection on your personal experiences abroad.
  • Connect with the cohort via monthly blog posts, sharing news, perspectives, images, and other media to support communication and storytelling.
  • Learn how to create a photo essay as a group.
  • Participate in an exhibition of student photo essay projects, culminating in an award.
"Cultural immersion also made us more aware of our own assumptions. Moments of confusion, misreading a social cue, struggling with language, or navigating unfamiliar systems were not just obstacles. They became entry points into deeper learning. We realized that discomfort often signals growth, and that humility is a key part of being welcomed into someone else’s culture. Our key takeway is that cultural immersion is reciprocal. It requires respect, curiosity, and a willingness to adapt, but it also offers connection, brief conversations, shared routines, and unexpected kindness that make a place feel lived-in rather than visited."

You are eligible for the program if:

  • You are studying abroad on a partner, exchange, or Northwestern program for Fall, Fall-Winter, or Full Year.

To Apply:

  1. Complete the Sign-Up Form

Cohorts and programs details will be released in May.