Launching to London

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This fall, first-year student Lily Avina had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the UMass Global Launch program, allowing her to spend her first semester of college in London.

UMass Global Launch is a program that selects 33 high-achieving incoming first-year students to spend their very first semester in an international city. It gives students an opportunity to globally diversify their learning while engaging with the UMass curriculum. Ms. Avina, a Women, Gender, Sexuality major was one of four Humanities and Fine Arts students to embark on this journey. Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with her and reflect on her experience abroad. 

We began by discussing the transition from high school to college. Ms. Avina is from SoCal, CA, so venturing to UMass is a notable transition to begin with. Though, flying 5,000 miles to a different country is a whole new ball game! She explains, “it was definitely a big jump, but it was part of the reason why I chose UMass: because of this program”. 

She explained that the UMass Global Launch students were a “tight-knit group”. They made for an amazing support system, and that was just one of the reasons the experience was so “rewarding”. They adapted to changes and challenges and worked through them as a group. Certainly, there were some days that were hard, but the strong foundation of peers, teachers, and parents made all the difference. “Definitely don’t be discouraged,” Avina says. “ You're gonna hit your bump in the road for sure when you get there. It doesn’t matter if it's the first day or the first month, but just know that you have a great support system; people care about you. Not only your fellow students or your PAs or your professors, but also people back at UMass. Don't be afraid to FaceTime your mom, either.” 

Once adjusted to the city, Ms. Avina was able to be fully immersed in London’s learning opportunities. “For academics, we were able to choose between four different classes for two courses and then we had two classes that were set for everyone to take. It wasn't necessarily divided by major or college; it was more based on your interests. Pretty much everyone took London Museums, and that was an amazing class. We also took the first semester professional development seminar”. “Then, we had the option to choose, so I chose Geosciences and Sustainability for one of my classes, and then I chose London as a Global City, which is kind of like walking around London and learning about the history.” This was her absolute favorite: “It was one of the most amazing classes I've ever taken. I was really happy to start my college experience like that. I love learning about London to begin with, but to be able to learn from people of the city, you know, or my professors made it really a great time”. The Global Launch students had the opportunity to explore London and learn from local experts in tandem, all through hands-on instruction. “Being able to explore and being so hands-on, not just learning about it in a classroom, but being able to go and see the paintings in real life, was really an amazing time”.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Avina recommends that students should “take a day to get lost. It’s an amazing city. Go explore. Use the public transportation and go somewhere you’ve never been”. While this was not her first time visiting London, it was her first time seeing it in this light. She and her roommate often ate at restaurants in the city, rode “The Tube”, explored local markets, and – one of Ms. Avina's favorites – strolled under the holiday lights during Christmas time.

Now, Ms. Avina is no longer one of 33, but one of 30,000: excited to head back to Amherst and start the spring semester. She says: “I'm excited to see everyone together, but I'm most excited to form new relationships and new bonds because I've only met just a very small percentage of the school's population”. It is safe to say that thanks to UMass Global Launch, Ms. Avina has had quite an exciting introduction to higher education career. 

We can’t wait to see you on campus, Lily!