News from The Mahurin Honors College

Meet Emmy Potter, a sophomore at WKU from Louisville, KY, double majoring in Biology and International Affairs, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. Emmy has big dreams of combining her passion for travel and different cultures with a medical degree and practicing abroad. Her transformative study abroad experience in Senegal opened up new academic and personal pathways, shaping her future career goals.

Emmy’s journey to discovering her second major began with an unexpected opportunity.  "One of the biggest reasons I came [to WKU] was for the study abroad program,” she said. Initially, she planned to wait until her senior year to study abroad due to her pre-med requirements. However, while taking an American government class with Dr. Saundra Ardrey, she learned about a study abroad trip to Senegal, and her roommate’s excitement about the program solidified her decision to go. “Dr. Ardrey came to my class and gave a presentation, and I had to go,” she recalls.

Despite financial concerns, Emmy applied in late February 2023 with WKU Global and sought assistance from WKU’s Office of Scholar Development (OSD). With the help of the Gilman Scholarship and government aid, she was able to participate in the trip at no cost. Senegal became her first time traveling abroad—a life-changing experience in more ways than one.

“What was great about this program was that it was faculty-led, and I had two professors who knew who I was, and I trusted they would be there for me if I needed help,” she said. The shorter 2.5-week trip gave her the perfect opportunity to “dip her toe” into international study. The program, a blend of political science and business, and led by Dr. [Saundra] Ardrey of Potter College of Arts & Letters and Dr. Kerron Joseph of Gordon Ford Business College, exposed Emmy to a wealth of new perspectives. “We went to a lot of banks and talked about economic systems, but being there and learning about the politics and intricacies of another country” inspired her to add International Affairs as a second major.

The trip also deepened Emmy’s understanding of the intersection between global competence and medicine. In her Gilman Scholarship application, she reflected on the importance of cultural empathy in medical practice: “The Hippocratic Oath says you treat people the same no matter what. Having interactions and becoming familiar with the unknown is very important in a society that tells you to be afraid of things you don’t know about. Reading about different cultures in textbooks is not the same as experiencing them firsthand, and I think I came back as a more globally competent citizen.”

Emmy found the interdisciplinary nature of the trip particularly enriching. Traveling with students majoring in political science and business provided diverse perspectives on shared topics. “We all think in different ways, and we got to talk about the same issues but from different perspectives,” she said. This experience highlighted the importance of collaborative problem-solving across disciplines.

For Emmy, Senegal offered both cultural and personal growth. “Senegal is a predominantly Muslim country, and while traveling, I witnessed how they paused everything for prayer. The traffic stopped, people stopped, and after 5-10 minutes, life went on,” she shared. Dakar, the capital city, served as the focal point of their travels.

Emmy describes her study abroad experience as “life-altering.” “Something I said about Senegal when I came back was that I learned more in the 2.5 weeks I was there than I did in my entire 19 years of living. I learned about Senegal and their culture, the African continent, the world, and about myself. It was such an educational experience in so many ways beyond academics.”

Beyond her international endeavors, Emmy is deeply involved in campus life. She works in the biology office and assists in Dr. Mark Clauson’s lab, with plans to become a research assistant. She also participates as an HonorsTopper student ambassador and serves as the secretary for the Honors Social Planning Board. Looking ahead, she hopes to study abroad again during the summer of her junior year, and she’s open to exploring any region.

Her advice to fellow students? “Talk to OSD. They are kind, helpful, and understanding. Asking for help can be scary, but they want to see you succeed. And for study abroad? Always do it – it’s life-altering.”