Student Profile: Shaunna Baumhardt ’15 Discovers Scotland

Shaunna in ScotlandJunior Shaunna Baumhardt of Milwaukee, Wis., discovered a whole new perspective while studying in St. Andrews, Scotland, during the spring semester of 2013.

She says she has always wanted to visit Ireland, but instead ended up in Scotland — “just a hop, skip and a jump away.” She says that Scotland is a good place to visit because of the richness in tradition and landscape.

As a double major in business and economics, Baumhardt was especially excited to work in her subject areas in a different setting, but also enjoyed the bonus perk of having her classes taught in the English language.

She dove right in to her classes: “Macroeconomics,” “Topics in Finance” and “Scottish Music.” She says she found the music class most intriguing.

“We covered many of the traditional Scottish instruments and how they were changed by the national culture. We also heard about the bagpipe, harp and lute,” Baumhardt says. The class also covered the history of Scotland, an interest of Baumhardt’s.

[SlideDeck2 id=11456]

“It made traveling around Scotland that much more real,” she says. “I could go to some place and say, ‘Hey, I learned about this city.’ I gained a respect for Scotland as a whole through this class, and I would suggest it to anyone who wants to learn about Scotland in a fun and unique way.”

Baumhardt enjoyed her stay with her host family, especially the children. “The family I stayed with had two children, Collum and Kay,” she says. “They were both adorable, and hearing Scottish accents on kids was adorable!”

She says the thing she appreciates the most about her off-campus trip was the opportunity to experience a new culture. “It helped me to take a second look at why I do the things I do the way I do them,” she says. “It also left me with a greater sense of independence and confidence in myself. I survived a semester abroad — I can take on the world!”

-Tsering Yangchen ’14
Madison, Wis.


Related Posts

Madeline Adler '25

Madeline Adler ’25 earns scholarship, named Ripon’s Greek President of the Year

Madeline Adler ’25 of Tomah, Wisconsin, has received an undergraduate scholarship from Order of Omega. She was recognized for her involvement in Greek life, academic […]

Calysta Kurz ’24

Psychobiology student Calysta Kurz ’24 presents poster at national conference

Calysta Kurz ’24 of Oconto, Wisconsin, joined Associate Professor of Psychology Julia Manor in attending the recent Comparative Cognition Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kurz […]

Jacoby Cefalu ’25, left,, and Ryan Davis ’24

Work of professor, students presented at cognitive development conference

Professor of Psychology Kristine A. Kovack-Lesh and two 2023 Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) students attended the biennial meeting of the Cognitive Development Society […]

Barbara Sisson, left, and Greta M. Mahler '25

Greta M. Mahler ’25 is first author on published paper detailing laboratory exercise

A paper by Greta M. Mahler ’25 of Athens, Wisconsin, and Barbara Sisson, associate professor of biology, has been published in the journal Zebrafish. “Teaching […]