University of Delaware Athletics
University's Study Abroad Programs Paying Dividends For Student-Athletes
6/4/2024 1:14:00 PM | Volleyball
NEWARK, Del. - For Division-I athletes, scheduling is challenging right from the start of their academic careers. Managing classes, practice, assignments, team meetings and obligations, and studying is a tough balance for student athletes who are competing at the highest level in collegiate athletics. And those tasks do not even address everyday needs, such as fitting in time for meals, being available for friends, and getting efficient sleep.
So, it is understandable that most student athletes are unable to partake in study abroad programs.
Not at the University of Delaware, where the volleyball team has carved out a continuous supply of student athletes who are able to study abroad without it impacting their volleyball schedule or off-season training. In fact, several student athletes have done two study abroad programs, and are even planning to do a third next winter.
"I had always loved the idea of traveling," Lily Rogers, a setter for the Delaware volleyball team said. "I knew if it were an opportunity available to me, it was definitely something that I wanted to take advantage of."
Emily Chrysogelos, a junior for the Blue Hens, is majoring in international relations, quite convenient for anyone looking to study abroad. Chrysogelos acknowledged the connection.
While Chrysogelos did not have prior plans to study abroad before arriving at Delaware, she gained interest when she declared her major early on in freshman year and after learning about realistic opportunities to study abroad during the winter semester. After figuring out the study abroad opportunities she could pursue, everything fell into place for Chrysogelos.
"I think it was a big part of the equation for me to major in international relations because I knew that would open some doors for me in terms of studying abroad," Chrysogelos said. "And that would help my major and career opportunities in the future."
For Mackenzie Sobczyk, a junior from Wilmington, Del., there were several factors in pursuing studying abroad.
"With COVID-19 happening, you couldn't travel anywhere, and that is when I realized I wanted to see more," Sobczyk said. "I'm from Wilmington, so I wanted to see what else there was. Growing up, that's one thing my mom always talks about; how she regrets never studying abroad and that's something that I always had in the back of my mind."
How is it that these three members of the volleyball team have combined for six study abroad programs as Division-I athletes?
With the Blue Hens' volleyball season scheduled during the fall semester, and with the University of Delaware having an extended winter break, Rogers, Chrysogelos, and Sobczyk were able to study abroad during winter semesters for three and a half weeks; this is known as the micro program. Since these programs took place after their volleyball season ended, they did not miss out on any competition. And since the programs occurred right after their season concluded, they did not miss out on any off-season or preseason training.
After serving as an assistant coach for five seasons, Kim Lambert was promoted to head coach in Feb. 2022. In her first season, she took the Hens to the CAA title game against Towson. In her second season, she helped lead the Hens to their fifth CAA title, defeating Towson in 2023. Fortunately, Lambert has always been excited about her student athletes expanding their horizons and taking advantage of all the university has to offer.
"Kim wrote a recommendation letter for my application; she was always very supportive of it," Rogers said. "She was very encouraging for me to travel, try all these things and had recommendations for Paris and for Greece, and was definitely very excited for the opportunity for me."
Chrysogelos echoed Rogers' thoughts on how supportive their coaching staff has been in helping student athletes take advantage of different opportunities, in this case study abroad.
"In a lot of my teammates' cases, we ask Kim for support with a letter of recommendation for our programs," Chrysogelos said. "Our coaches love having us go overseas. They all have been super supportive during the whole process."
That's the thing about studying abroad at the University of Delaware as a student athlete; there are opportunities to travel abroad more than once. For Rogers, she studied abroad during her winter semester in France during her junior year, and did the same thing her senior year, this time in Greece.
During her sophomore year, Chrysogelos studied abroad in Budapest, Hungry, while picking Latvia for her junior year. It is clear that Chrysogelos has been able to take advantage of the study abroad programs that Delaware offers. When she looked at other schools' study abroad options during high school, most did not offer anything because of her Division-I schedule. The few that did had several limiting parameters.
"A lot of the schools I was looking at did have study abroad opportunities, but not until you were a senior and that would have been your spring semester, so there only would have been one chance," Chrysogelos said. "At Delaware, they obviously have opportunities every year for student athletes who are participating in the fall to study abroad during the winter semester."
With Rogers, she has seen first-hand how fortunate she has been to be at Delaware as a Division-I athlete and still be able to take advantage of offerings that more traditional students have.
"I have a lot of other friends who are playing volleyball at other schools and they would never have the opportunity to study abroad, especially twice," Rogers said. "I was really excited to have that opportunity at Delaware."
While Rogers, Chrysogelos, and Sobczyk have enjoyed several opportunities to study abroad, there is still a requirement that they stay physically fit as an athlete. But the coaching staff has that covered, providing student athletes with workout regimens, written by strength and conditioning coach Mesiah Polycarpe, to stay active during the off-season.
In terms of conditioning, Delaware has everything in place to make sure its student athletes are provided with everything that would benefit them.
"In the winter, it's all about working out and taking that rest for yourself but also building back up to come back and contribute what you can for the team," Sobczyk said. "So, I've been sure to work with Mesiah a lot and figure out ways I can be working out and staying up to what I need to be while I'm away."
For Rogers, who was presented with workout facility challenges in France and Greece for several reasons, she relied on the thorough workout plan the team had in place to make up for not having access to Delaware's facilities.
"I did not have access to a gym, but I was able to reach out to Mesiah, and he was able to write me an individualized workout plan that was more body weight stuff so I could stay in shape and be ready when I got back for the spring," Rogers said.
Beyond the traveling and exploration, the study abroad programs have really contributed to Rogers', Chrysogelos', and Sobczyk's majors. They have been able to take their learning abroad and apply it to their prospective professions. After all, that is one of the many goals for which universities provide study abroad programs, and why students ultimately pursue these opportunities.
Sobczyk, who did a health care study abroad program during winter of 2023 in Hawaii and a study abroad program in the British Virgin Islands in winter of 2024, really got to see her desired profession in nursing as practiced in different cultures.
"We got to talk to a lot of people on the island about what their experience was like on healthcare," Sobczyk said. "It was cool to see that hands-on experience of going to clinical each day and getting to work with a nurse and learn what they do."
Sobczyk is in the midst of planning a third study abroad program for next winter in Italy.
For Chrysogelos, studying abroad as an international relations major was a perfect fit. Being able to live in another culture added perspective and reality for Chrysogelos, which she otherwise would not have had by simply studying those issues from her classrooms in Newark, Del.
Of course, that is not to say her courses in international relations on Delaware's campus have not been important. But study abroad has allowed her see things directly in places that have different approaches that one cannot truly understand if not physically present.
"Latvia's domestic policy right now was definitely more shocking to a lot of the students on my trip because I don't think we fully knew the extent that the Russian-Ukraine war had on some of the Baltic countries," Chrysogelos said. "We met with a lot of members of the government and it was good to hear the dual perspectives from the government versus what the people were actually experiencing."
Chrysogelos learned directly from Latvian law makers about some of the policies they had in place, such as anti-Russification, an attempt to limit the number of Russian speakers and the amount of Russian language that is used in the education system and jobs. As a result, if you are not able to speak fluent Latvian, you were not able to do things such as vote and have Latvian citizenship.
Chrysogelos saw first-hand the impact politics had on Eastern European countries like Latvia, and she believes it made her a better student and a more informed person outside of the classroom. She was able to bring her experience studying abroad back to her classrooms 4,500 miles away.
"I am able to add perspective to a lot of our conversations and discussions about things that I saw and maybe some of the things that I talked to people overseas in adding their own perspective," Chrysogelos said. "It's hard to talk about politics in a country we don't live in but being able to add perspective, even if it's something I'm not fully well-versed on, I think has been beneficial to my learning process."
Perspective and independence were two key concepts that Rogers took away from her two study abroad programs. The Missouri native moved 16 hours away for college, which she cited as giving her a level of independence, but then traveling over the Atlantic and doing school abroad with an eight-hour time difference only increased her feeling of independence. Additionally, being thrown into a new culture while meeting new people added new perspective, allowing her to see things from a live and active perspective. Professionally, Rogers shadowed a hospital in Greece, adding professional perspective to the societal knowledge she had previously gained.
"That was really cool for me as someone who wants to be a doctor… being able to see the differences and compare them," Rogers said. "I've seen hospitals in America, and then being able to see what they're like in Greece was a really cool comparison, and I got to learn a lot from that."
Just as Delaware student athletes must compete against opponents on their team schedule, as study abroad students they have to deal with similar themes and are put into real world issues.
During Rogers' history of medicine class, she and her classmates were able to visit a lot of the places that were referred to in their textbook.
"The first blood transfusion… we got to go there and visit the historical hospital and see all the ancient medical tools," Rogers said. "So, it was just cool to be in the city that I was learning the history of and how it translates to current day medicine and what I will be learning about in the future."
Additionally, Rogers, Chrysogelos, and Sobczyk were able to enjoy themselves in a different country when they were not in the classroom or actively working in different communities. After all, there are many components to studying abroad for any student, and experiencing and doing new things that are part of that culture is certainly a significant reason to study abroad.
In Paris, Rogers went to the palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower while also getting to explore the entire city. In Greece, she was able to visit a lot of temples, go on many hikes, and see the Mediterranean Sea, which she referred to as "really beautiful and unlike any water I have seen." Chrysogelos was able to travel to a lot of cities in Latvia. In Budapest, she pursued a lot of museums and historical sites. Sobczyk enjoyed snorkeling and skydiving in Hawaii, which she mentioned was "the coolest thing I've ever done." She also enjoyed taking ferries to different islands in the British Virgin Islands.
Lambert greatly appreciates that her student athletes are able to take on the unique connection to travel and learn while being active students at Delaware. It has been important for her that, while they have a major time commitment in-season with volleyball, they are able to enjoy offerings simply as students.
"I love when our student-athletes take advantage of the opportunity UD provides to study abroad in the winter," Lambert said. "I believe it truly enhances their overall collegiate experience. As a fall sport, we are certainly fortunate our student-athletes are able to participate as often as preferred."
During the 2022-2023 season, five volleyball players studied abroad. For the 2023-24 season, three students studied abroad. With Sobczyk interested in doing a third study abroad in Italy in January 2025, the Delaware volleyball team looks to continue its tradition of encouraging study abroad going forward. With an already established culture of student athletes studying abroad, it is clear that student athletes have a viable opportunity to go abroad and pursue their degree even competing as Division-I athletes.
"Volleyball, Paris, and Greece are going to be the highlight of my college career, so, for athletics to have given me those opportunities is really special," Rogers said. "I encourage other people to try to study abroad… especially those who are athletes… if they have the opportunity, I think it is a well-rounded experience."
