Heather Jahrling
  • Farmington

Heather Jahrling of Farmington Returns from First-Semester Global Experience

2018 Jan 19

Heather Jahrling of Farmington, a first-year student at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, recently returned from spending the fall semester in Dijon, France, through a special program that offers first-year students the opportunity to study abroad. Jahrling, a graduate of Farmington Senior High School, is the daughter of Timothy and Maureen Jahrling of Farmington, Conn.

Colby's Global Entry Semester program in Salamanca, Spain, and Dijon, France, provide academically rigorous experiences that fulfill Colby's foreign language requirement. Through university classes and social interaction, including a homestay with a local family, students gain a global perspective and a better understanding of the complexities of another culture.

Global experiences abound at Colby. More than two-thirds of Colby students study overseas before they graduate, most during their junior year. Programs in language and culture, political science, classical studies, sustainable development, and environmental field studies are among more than 200 approved off-campus study programs. While most students spend an entire semester away, some take part in short-term experiences during Colby's January term, known as Jan Plan.

The Class of 2021 was selected from the largest and most academically qualified pool of applications in Colby's 203-year history. Last year the college launched DavisConnects (colby.edu/davisconnects), an innovative new program to facilitate and fund research, internship, and global experiences for every student.