Two graduates – and friends – discover their next steps thanks to education abroad experiences

Kaitlyn Rabe and Mark Kolat came to Ohio State in 2013 with a passion for languages.

Rabe had taken four years of Italian in high school, while Kolat started studying Spanish in middle school and learned French independently during high school. Both initially considered careers in government as a way to apply their skills in the workforce but were not settled on a particular career path. 

Then, they studied abroad.

Rabe attended classes in Siena, Italy, after her freshman year, an experience that segued into returning to Italy multiple times on her own. Kolat, meanwhile, doubled-up on education abroad programs after his sophomore year, starting with a summer in Spain followed by a fall semester in Senegal.

By immersing themselves in other countries, cultures and languages, the two Ohio State graduates and friends discovered how they wanted to use their language skills beyond the classroom.

“If you study a language and you have the intention of becoming conversational in that language, you do need a period of time in which you are abroad and fully immersed in that language,” said Rabe, who earned her undergraduate degrees in Italian and international studies in 2016.

For Rabe, that meant working with government entities and living abroad.

After earning her undergraduate degrees, she returned to Italy to teach English at a high school for a year in Lombardy, located in the country’s northern region. While there, she pursued her graduate degree in international relations at the University of Milan. Following her teaching assignment, she interned at a nonprofit organization that works on public health issues in Zanzibar, East Africa. That experience led to a job as a project manager in a public health laboratory there.

“Managing a project didn’t require a master’s in economics and finance, but (being bilingual) was essential,” Rabe said. She was able to connect with people in Zanzibar in English, then communicate with her colleagues at the nonprofit in Italian.

Kolat, who studied Spanish and French, had never traveled abroad but wanted to put his classroom experience to use. After spending six weeks studying in Spain, he knew he wanted to pursue another education abroad opportunity related to his French major. He was interested in taking a less traditional route, immersing himself in a French-speaking country other than France. Senegal, a former French colony in West Africa, offered an interesting opportunity.

He spent the first half of his trip in the capital city, Dakar, taking classes and identifying a specialization for an internship that would be carried out during the second half of his education abroad program. He chose education and literacy and was assigned to teach English and Spanish at a middle school in a rural village six hours away from Dakar and the program staff.

“I remember the first two days thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’” he said.

But he adapted quickly, exploring his new community, connecting with his host family and befriending teachers and students.

Kolat earned dual undergraduate degrees in Spanish and French with a linguistics minor in 2016, and he knew he wanted to continue his language studies. So, taking 30-minute motorcycle rides to a larger village with Wi-Fi access, he applied to graduate school while in Senegal.

“If you study a language and you have the intention of becoming conversational in that language, you do need a period of time in which you are abroad and fully immersed in that language."

- Kaitlyn Rabe

He was accepted into the Department of Spanish and Portuguese’s graduate program to study Hispanic linguistics, entering the program in 2017. After Senegal, he returned to Ohio State and worked in the Center for Latin American Studies for a semester, helping to develop a new version of the university’s Quechua language program.

After his first year in graduate school, he traveled back to Senegal to visit his host family and friends. Rabe, who was living in Italy, joined him for a week. Kolat gave her a tour of Dakar and they stayed in the same neighborhood as one of his host families, visiting the Pink Lake, the African Renaissance Monument, and local markets and beaches. It was the first time a friend from home visited him abroad and the experience helped them develop a stronger bond.

He recalls walking with a friend from a nearby village, reflecting on his previous experiences which led him to this second trip.

Kolat told the friend, “Thinking back to high school and studying French on my own, never in a million years would I have I thought I’d be with you here right now walking down the streets of Senegal.”

The trip inspired him to study abroad again. After he earned his master’s degree in May 2019, he spent the following summer in Ecuador studying Kichwa through a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

While Kolat hasn’t settled on a specific career, he said his education abroad experiences have built off of one another and helped to shape his interests in international studies, languages and cultural exchanges. He is certain his next move will offer some insight.

Kolat has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Grant, which will allow him to spend 10 months starting in February working with students in Peru.

Rabe, who earned her master’s degree in December 2019, still resides in Milan, working with the nonprofit health organization. She plans to pursue a doctorate degree in either international development or international relations to become a researcher.

Without combining the language study with the study abroad experience, Rabe said she wouldn't have landed in Italy.

“That study abroad experience was essential to letting me understand where I wanted to be, what I liked and what my eventual career path could be,” she said.

There’s still time to sign up for education abroad programs this summer. Read more about the Education Abroad deadlines from the Office of International Affairs.

Got questions? Representatives from the Office of International Affair’s Education Abroad program will be at the Crane Café in Hagerty Hall from 1 – 3 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Spring 2020 Welcome Back Celebration.