Stephanie O’Dell
Class of 2009
Destination: Denmark and Peru
Hometown: Richmond, Va.
Major: Graphic Design
Stephanie O’Dell studied abroad to gain a global perspective on art and design.
“Graphic design is all about communication of ideas so an understanding of other cultures is critical,” she said.
O’Dell studied through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. “I chose a non-VCU program because I knew I wanted to study design in Scandinavia,” she said.
DIS did not offer graphic design courses, so O’Dell participated in their architecture and design program. She took a six credit architecture studio class, a Danish design and introductory Danish language courses.
O’Dell had mixed expectations before she traveled to Denmark. She was nervous about studying architecture, since many of the students in the program had studied architecture before. Once she arrived and saw her program had more than 500 other students in the same situation, she felt better.
Her study abroad experience has inspired her to pursue architectural graphics. O’Dell now wants to pursue a graduate degree abroad or perhaps work abroad with a graphic design firm.
O’Dell was also able to travel a lot while in Europe.
“Once you travel, you will keep planning new trips forever.”
“A trip that was included with my program was a week long study tour to Sweden and Finland,” O’Dell said. “An optional trip I participated in was a four day hiking adventure in the mountains of the Czech Republic. It also included a day in Prague, which was amazing.”
Her most memorable experience was the study tour to Finland. “The Finnish tradition is to eat and drink, and then go in the sauna and then jump in the ice cold lake next to the cabin,” she said. “I can say that I jumped in a lake in freezing cold weather in Jyvaskyla, Finland.”
O’Dell feels far more confident taking on large challenges. “I feel like I have a different way of thinking about design and a different perspective than my other classmates,” she added.
After her study abroad in Denmark, O’Dell was hired as an intern for the VCU Education Abroad Office where she is able to share her experiences with other students as well as use her graphic design skills. In addition, she studied abroad again on the VCU Peru Visual Arts program in the summer of 2009.
