The Office of Off-Campus Study encourages Scripps College students to explore and integrate with the local culture during their time abroad. Few, however, take it as far as Alexa Kopelman ’13.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, Alexa volunteered at Kringlebakken, a center for Muslim immigrants – in this case girls and women – supporting their integration into Danish society.
“Muslim culture is conservative, and Danish culture is open and very liberal,” Alexa says. “The girls I met are basically living two lives in two very different cultures.”
Alexa got involved shortly after arriving in Denmark when she found herself surrounded by Americans. “I wanted a more intercultural experience,” she says – and found one through her host school, the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS). DIS offers the “Service Learning Seminar,” a course pairing students with community volunteer sites. Alexa quickly found herself working at Kringlebakken, leading Danish immersion games, sports activities, and academic sessions.
Not surprising, the biggest obstacle Alexa overcame was the language barrier.
“Many of the girls didn’t speak English, so I had to find new ways to communicate,” she says. “At first I had no idea how I would make a difference in their lives because we didn’t speak the same language.”
Ultimately, Alexa believes her experience at Kringlebakken was the best part of her semester abroad. Since she and her mentees were foreigners to the country, they were able to learn about and adapt to Denmark together.
“While I was helping the girls integrate into Danish culture, they were helping me integrate, too. It was a wonderful cooperative experience.
“Students at Scripps are intellectually curious, and I have fed off their enthusiasm and energy since my first day as a student here. This energy is what made me eager to discover new places like Copenhagen and Kringlebakken and make a change in the lives of others while doing so.”
Would Alexa recommend that other Scripps students volunteer while studying off-campus?
“Volunteering abroad was the best thing I could have done,” Alexa says. “I was really able to connect with a local population. I absolutely recommend it to everyone.”