Andrew Ho, a third-year biology student, will spend spring semester studying at sea thanks to a $10,000 Semester at Sea Study Abroad Scholarship funded by the National Society of Collegiate Scholarships.
Ho during his Semester at Sea in 2015.
For 105 days, students participating in the Semester at Sea program will visit 11 countries, 12 cities and four continents, including Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.
Next semester will be Ho’s second year participating in the program. In 2015, he traveled to European, West African and South American countries, an experience that he says changed his life forever.
“I’ve been in Atlanta all of my life and never really had the chance to go anywhere else,” he said. “Participating in semester at sea changed the way I looked at the world. It’s obvious that in European countries such as Spain and Italy, for example, the citizens have better healthcare in comparison to Amazon tribes in South America. I learned so much, so I jumped at the chance to do it again.”
The son of an immigrant and first generation college student, Ho is most excited about touring Asia this time around.
“I haven’t had any experience with Asian healthcare as of yet. I want to go to hospitals and study ethical concerns,” he said. “I’m also Vietnamese and one of the countries is Vietnam. So, I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of situation my mother escaped from. We were raised in two totally different conditions, so it’ll be interesting to see the difference.”
While on the ship, Ho will take biomedical ethics, medical anthropology and human sexuality courses led by Semester at Sea professors. When the ship docks, he’ll be given opportunities to apply the studies he’s learned and gain hands-on experience and perspective.
The 2015 Semester at Sea students, faculty and staff.
“I’m pre-med and I want to be a physician later on life,” he said. “This opportunity gives me a one-of-a-kind experience with public health in different countries, seeing the wealth in some countries and the disparity in others. It’s definitely an honor.”
Ho leaves for his semester at sea in January.