Study Abroad at Farmingdale State College (FSC) is really taking off, with new leadership, a renewed vision, and new ways for students to experience the world while learning and earning credit toward their degrees.
The program offers transformative educational opportunities around the world while creating an environment of global learning on campus. FSC recently tapped Eric De Sena, PhD, to lead the office. Before joining FSC, De Sena taught classical studies in Rome and led field schools in Italy and Romania, where students gained valuable experience at archaeological sites. Since joining FSC in fall 2024, he has built awareness, created and managed new programs, and extolled the many benefits of studying abroad.
FSC’s Study Abroad Office currently offers traditional semester and summer programs at partner universities in Nicosia, Cyprus; Florence, Italy; Rennes, France; and Barcelona, Spain. Edinburgh, Scotland, is in the works. De Sena continues to build partnerships to provide a broader range of options tailored to students’ interests. In addition, students can apply to another State University of New York (SUNY) institution if they prefer to study at a different location or during a different academic term.
Sabrina Achille, ’25, a computer programming and information systems major in her senior year, participated in two study abroad trips while at FSC, visiting Egypt in 2024 and Madagascar in 2025. Achille chose more remote destinations for something new and diverse.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “I wanted to go outside my comfort zone and experience something totally different.”
As a study abroad student ambassador, she talks to students in the Campus Center every Thursday. “I tell students, do your own research and don’t let anybody make that decision for you,” she said. “We have the resources to help students make a sound decision.”
De Sena is also engaging with FSC professors with expertise in certain regions or areas of study to curate faculty-led programs during the summer and winter terms, including summer 2025 programs scheduled for Taiwan and Hong Kong, South Italy, and Edinburgh, and a winter 2025- 2026 seminar in Ghana. Faculty-led programs are ideal for students who prefer to travel in a group, have a shorter experience, or study specific or integrated topics. In addition to the worldly experience, students gain resume and skill- building advantages.
“That’s going to give them an edge if somebody has an equal work or education experience,” De Sena said. “In certain cases, they can even do internships overseas. So, they’re really developing their skills.”
“For Madagascar, I was able to do independent research in my field. So, that’s something that makes my resume stand out,” Achille concurred. “Plus, it’s a fun talking point I’ll always have.”
The Study Abroad Office works with students to develop an action plan based on their goals, individual circumstances, and financial considerations. One-on-one assistance and resources help guide students in planning, funding, and preparing for their experience.
Because students receive credit for their coursework abroad, financial aid may be applicable, and the Study Abroad Office actively maintains a comprehensive list of scholarships available to students. In fact, a record number of FSC students have applied for the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship in spring 2025. In the last two years, SUNY provided funding options for Educational Opportunity Program and first-generation students, as well as Pell Grant recipients.
“It’s really a life-changing experience. I’ve literally seen thousands of students go overseas, and they’re all transformed in some way,” said De Sena. “They come in with fresh haircuts, nice clothes, and maybe a little naive. They go through this transformation, and they come out of it as more worldly. Their hair is grown out, their clothes are wrinkled, but they’ve all absorbed in their own way the local culture.”
Drawing on her personal life experiences, Achille said that studying abroad changed her perceptions. “My family comes from Haiti, and media often only shows the poor regions. Visiting some of these more remote regions, I could see for myself what it’s really like there. It’s good to gain your own experience and form your own opinion.”
“People told me to ‘travel while you’re young, explore the world,’ and that’s what I tell other students,” Achille said. “The more life experiences you gain, the richer you get.”
As De Sena tells students, “just go for it.”
Photos credits clockwise from top-left: Florence, Italy, courtesy Ryan Delgenio, ’25; Florence, Italy, courtesy Liana Bordonaro, ’25; Hong Kong, China, courtesy Qing Ai, associate professor; Cairo, Egypt, courtesy Sabrina Achille, ’25; Giza, Egypt, courtesy Sabrina Achille, ’25
Share This
