Bree Dang ’27 did more than strengthen her Spanish skills when she studied abroad in Granada, Spain. She took cooking and flamenco classes, went on bike tours, and visited the Alhambra. She traveled to Madrid and Seville, took day excursions to the beach, and hiked in the Sierra Nevada.

“My experience has been beyond words,” Dang says.

That type of unforgettable adventure is exactly why Charlie Olson ’78 and Kris Kaiser Olson established the Kris Kaiser Olson Endowed Scholarship for Study Abroad at Southwestern. The scholarship helps cover non-tuition expenses so students can immerse themselves in the culture of their host country.

“There’s so much more to studying abroad than sitting in a classroom in another country,” Kris says. “All those informal experiences, from eating new food to exploring museums, are equally as valuable.”

For Charlie, the scholarship is also an opportunity to give back to the university that gave him so much.

“Southwestern gave me confidence that I could understand and work in a complicated world,” he says. “Implicit in the teaching was the message that we should go into the world and leave it better than we found it. Through this scholarship, we’re hoping to support students who otherwise may not be able to experience the full benefits of international travel.”