Verto Education Semester Abroad With College Credit

Obviously, like the rest of my classmates, I had wanted to travel abroad. I had to finish my senior year online and I was ready to go back to learning in person. Because of the pandemic, Verto was not able to send anyone abroad. I found the mission of Verto to be interesting so I decided to do the online semester. They hadn’t run an online semester before. They, like the students, wanted to be traveling abroad. Verto had to find teachers, find an online platform we could use, split all of the students into cohorts, and come up with activities to make the semester fun. I believe they found great teachers for the semester. The teachers that I had were all very understanding and relatable to the students. We had speakers, clubs, and we were even able to do activities like a murder mystery game. Ideally, we all would’ve been traveling abroad this semester, but Verto did a great job of pulling off an online semester.

Verto admission representatives visited my high school college fair; I approached their booth, and immediately felt a connection as soon as we started talking. After speaking with them, I felt an immense warmth of positivity. Everything about the program perfectly appealed to me so of course I was so eager to sign up! The semester started online in September of 2020, and I expected it to be not as monumental as it has been. With the addition of having many events, games, speakers, and student lead clubs outside the part of academics it was always made the program super fun! I've learned so much this semester by building friendships with my fellow students; I must give credit where it is due the pinnacle of my success was having the support and encouragement of the amazingly awesome Verto staff from Community Guru and Program Leader to professors and academic counselors. This year of 2020 and unique Hybrid Verto Semester has been an influential experience, and wouldn't have chosen any other path. Besides with Verto I'll be able to travel this coming Spring. I definitely recommend doing your study abroad with Verto Education because the knowledge that you gain from it is truly extraordinary. Through Verto your opportunities are endless and your adventures will be legendary!

This was my first time traveling out of the country, let alone to spend three months with people I’ve never met. At first it was intimidating, adjusting to the environment and getting to know everyone. When I got back from this trip people asked how it went. What I found was that this wasn’t just an ordinary trip. My experience abroad with Verto was unique. And what made it unique was the people, my personal journey, and the cultural experiences.

I loved my cohort! The professors were amazing, fun, and interesting people. Not only did I learn from them during class but also out of class they taught me a lot. Our guides were all around the best! They worked so hard everyday to make everything go as smoothly as it could go. Being responsible for a group is not easy! I know I can speak for my fellow classmates when I say that we made beautiful relationships and connections with everyone.

My personal journey was one that I will never forget. I learned so much about myself and yes there were hardships such as being homesick or just feeling overwhelmed or even more personal issues. But, without the bad I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the good. And looking back, if it wasn’t for everything that I endured whether that be good or bad I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and pushed me to try new things. This semester abroad not only shaped me personally but also academically.

I wanted cultural immersion and that is exactly what I got! Everyone was so nice and welcoming. Learning the culture around me didn’t make me feel like a tourist but more of a well rounded traveler. I learned phrases and words in different languages, I learned cultural do’s and don’ts, and I tried a bunch of tasty new foods! When you’re culturally immersed it puts you into a different perspective. You see all sides and not just your own. You learn why people do what they do and you experience the hardships that they go through as well.

A part of who I am is made up from my experiences abroad. This is a unique opportunity and if you have the chance to do it, go for it! Don’t overthink it and don’t talk yourself out of it. I promise this is life changing!

My daughter was introduced to the Verto experience in her senior year of high school. She has always been interested in studying abroad and this seemed like a great opportunity for her. I was nervous about her going so far away for so long, but my fears were quickly put to rest seeing how happy and well taken care of my child was while away. She did two semesters with Verto. The first was Latin America followed by South Pacific. Reading and talking about what the students would be doing while away was exciting but the actual experiences my child had was like nothing I could have ever imagined. Of course there were a few hiccups along the way dealing with culture changes and personality differences, but the program leaders and instructors were amazing. My daughter got hurt the first week she was in the Dominican Republic and the program leader called me to tell me everything and made me feel comfortable that she was in good hands and they would keep me updated about her injury. That same program leader was incredible throughout the entire semester, as were the other PLs. The homestays were a favorite of my daughter. Her DR host family treated her like their own and her "mom" taught her Spanish while she taught her mom English. She was also proud of her "dad" and the work he did in the community. While in Fiji, she really enjoyed watching the rugby team and getting to hang out with locals during their free time. The students were not to go anywhere alone and as a parent I appreciated that as an extra safety measure. During the SOPAC semester is when things had to be cut short due to COVID-19 and everyone had to return home. My daughter was heartbroken that she had to leave even though she understood why. The Verto team included the parents in the decisions about what what happening and even started a group chat on WhatsApp for the parents so we could support each other and let everyone know that our children made it home safely. That was very helpful during such a scary time. Class online just finished this week so I am sure there will be a new set of feelings. I cannot say enough about Verto and the entire experience we have had. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking to have an opportunity of a lifetime. This would not be for someone thinking they were going on a "vacation". There were many activities planned that were thoroughly enjoyed, but it is still college work and can be difficult at times. It has been life changing for us with no regrets.

I found my senior year of high school to be quite stressful and discouraging. I felt as though I was the only one who didn't have a concrete idea of what they wanted to do or where they wanted to go. I didn't get that "feeling" that every college tour guide describes, I had felt lost. When I was just about ready to give up on my ideal college experience I was introduced to Verto Education. Hearing about Verto, I felt that it was way too good to be true and that there must have been some kind of catch. However, almost a year and 2 college semesters with Verto later, I can confidently say the reality of Verto is better than I could've imagined. After traveling to 4 beautiful counties with Verto and meeting amazing students and even more phenomenal program leaders not only have I found confidence and clarity in myself but the world around me as well. I cannot thank Verto and its staff enough for giving me my excitement for the future back.

As parents, Verto offered an unparalleled and crucial experience for our daughter as she launched her academic career. Over the past three months, she lived in two countries, was part of a vibrant community of students and teachers, and learned about her passion for environmental studies through hands-on experiences and professionals in the field. Through all this and more, she has gained independence, confidence in her ability to keep up with the rigors of academics, and a greater hunger to learn more and make a difference in the world. While she was away, Verto Education regularly gave us updates with great photos(!) and had her safety and well-being as a priority. We would not hesitate to recommend this program to others. Verto Education delivers as advertised! A great freshman year, indeed.
Christy Tull and Bill Tijerina

Excellent program for our daughter that was focused on both academics and service. We are very happy and it's definitely an experience we would like to give our younger kids in the future. Awesome work by the leaders on teaching college bound students on life skills and time management. I was one of those parents that new very little about the program but was reassured by High Point University that the program was safe and transformative. I'm glad I decided to embark my daughter on this trip for her first semester of college. She is ready to continue her studies in a college environment with a different perspective of life. For all the parents that are hesitant on sending their child to study abroad, do not be afraid. It is a supervised program with great leaders.

Verto education is a great first semester abroad program for anyone that loves traveling, learning, and even maybe getting out of their comfort zone. The experiences that we had with NGO's, homestays and hikes really showed us all about the country and taught us more. The site visits really tied to our classwork and helped us learn about what we learned in class but with hands on. Verto Education is a very hands-on experience when it comes to classwork and learning but they also have many fun trips throughout the semester we are abroad. Highly recommend this gap year program to anyone. The group leaders are also very helpful with school work and want you to be successful throughout the semester they are very helpful with everything and are always there to help you and make you better at what you're struggling at.