The email from Natalie Barlick-Reed last December caught my attention because it touched on so many of the things that make Penn State great. Unforgettable student experiences? Opportunities across multiple campuses? Meaningful work with a global impact? Check, check, and check.

Barlick-Reed ’13 Nur, an undergraduate instructor and the Global Programs coordinator in the Nese College of Nursing, was one of two instructors who traveled with 16 nursing students from six Penn State campuses last fall for a Thanksgiving week visit to the University of Galway in Ireland. A key component of the trip—a few years delayed, as it was originally scheduled to take place during the COVID-19 pandemic—was a series of presentations that combined the students in small teams; coming from Fayette, Hershey, Mont Alto, Schuylkill, Scranton, and University Park, they had collaborated on their projects primarily via Zoom before joining up in Ireland. Watching them make their presentations, Barlick-Reed says, “you would never be able to tell they had just met in person.”

Barlick-Reed says additional trips planned for Nese students include a Maymester in London and a three-week exchange trip to Bangkok, as well as potential trips to India and Kenya. In each, as in Galway, they’ll compare their undergraduate experiences, tour facilities, engage with peers from other cultures, and come home with a better sense of their place in the world—and the importance of their work in it.

Ryan Jones ’95 Com  |  Editor
ryanjones@psu.edu  |  @RJPennStater

P.S. As you might have seen, in January I was named interim head of the Penn State Alumni Association. I’m honored by the opportunity and excited to work more closely with my colleagues across the association. I’m also more appreciative than ever of the rest of the Penn Stater magazine team, whom I’ll be relying on even more than usual while in this temporary role. I’m biased, but they’re the best in the business.

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