{"id":370,"date":"2025-07-15T14:42:41","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T18:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/studyabroad\/?p=370"},"modified":"2025-08-08T13:37:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T17:37:02","slug":"outside-the-comfort-zone-brianna-bodner-25-finds-purpose-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/study-abroad\/outside-the-comfort-zone-brianna-bodner-25-finds-purpose-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Brianna Bodner \u201925 ventures outside the comfort zone in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Brianna Bodner \u201925 started thinking about studying abroad, she knew she wanted something beyond her comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brianna<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a double major in environmental science and studio art, she chose to spend a semester in Stellenbosch, at one of South Africa’s leading universities known for its research into sustainable food production. It was a choice that blended her academic interests with her sense of adventure. Stellenbosch University brings close to 28,000 students representing more than 110 nationalities to the region creating a dynamic, global learning community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew I didn’t want to study abroad in Europe,\u201d Brianna says. \u201cI wanted to go somewhere that would challenge me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She studied sustainable gardening practices and helped build a hydroponic garden from the ground up. Brianna also enrolled in environmental science courses, applied photography skills during excursions to local wildlife reserves, and participated in a global service-learning project at Boschendal Preschool, a primary school in a nearby township.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cDo it\u2014even if it\u2019s out of your comfort zone. Don\u2019t focus on the bad; there will always be challenges, but you\u2019ll push past them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Each day, she worked with children from infancy to age four\u2014most from low-income households, many of whom spoke no English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brianna\u2019s commitment to conservation deepened during her time at Stellenbosch\u2014 especially wildlife conservation and communities at the intersection of environment and equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer, she\u2019s working with the Maine Conservation Corps\u2014and this fall, she\u2019ll begin her graduate studies through Clark\u2019s 4+1 Master Degree in Environmental Science and Policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brianna\u2019s advice to future study abroad students?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo it\u2014even if it\u2019s out of your comfort zone. Don\u2019t focus on the bad; there will always be challenges, but you\u2019ll push past them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brianna Bodner’s semester in South Africa deepened her passion for wildlife, challenged her perspective, and helped her grow as both a scientist and an artist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"wp-custom-template-news-post","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBrianna Bodner \u201925 ventures outside the comfort zone in South Africa | Study Abroad | Clark University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/study-abroad\/outside-the-comfort-zone-brianna-bodner-25-finds-purpose-in-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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