Polk State study abroad program a life-changing experience for soon-to-be Harvard grad

For soon-to-be Ivy League graduate Alex Dyer, a study abroad trip to Europe as a Polk State College student changed his outlook on the world and prompted him to get involved.

He has received the Marshall Scholarship, which is funded by the British government and goes to high achieving American students. Following graduation from Harvard, Dyer will attend Cambridge University in England for a two-year master’s program where he will study housing and homelessness.

“Dual enrollment is a great opportunity to go more in depth about the subjects that interest you,” Dyer said. “Studying abroad at Polk State was an amazing opportunity that I’m still benefiting from.”

In 2019, Dyer, 22, traveled with his Polk State AMH2930 Special Topics History class to France and the United Kingdom as he entered his final year of high school. The two-week long class trip coincided with the 75th anniversary of D-Day, commemorating when Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in June 1944.

“The best part was seeing how interconnected the countries are today,” Dyer, now 22, recalled. “You could see the American impact as well. It’s amazing how something as divisive as World War II could lead to collaboration.”

Over the years, Polk State students have studied abroad in places such as London, Paris, Dublin, Athens, Madrid, and more. Studying abroad helps students develop life skills, increase cultural awareness, and think critically from a global perspective.

“It really helped me globalize how I think about things,” Dyer said of his trip. “It’s led me to get involved.”

Dyer has also worked with the nonprofit Engineers Without Borders International to help make drinking water available and safe to communities in Kenya.

He assisted in the creation of two wells for a Kenyan community of almost 2,500 people. The group, which has done water and energy construction in Kenya, worked with the community’s elders and religious leaders to strategically place the wells and address the pressing needs of the community.

“Working with the community has been super rewarding,” Dyer explained. “That’s when you know you’re making a difference. It makes us feel welcome and helps the community members understand the ways that we’re trying to help.”

Dyer has visited the Kenyan community in each of the last two summers. Since the wells were placed, the community has already seen a reduction in skin diseases related to faulty drinking water. The next goal of the community is to make drinking water available to all community members within 30 minutes.

“We’re looking at auxiliary locations now,” Dyer said. “We hope to build kiosks throughout the community.”

Now a senior at the Harvard University, an Ivy League institution in Massachusetts and the No. 3 ranked university in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report, Dyer is slated to graduate in May with his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Dyer isn’t done seeing other parts of the world as his studies take him to Cambridge in England.

“This will allow me to continue trying to make a difference,” he said. “It will also allow me to make sure I have the time to dedicate to that cause.”

After graduating high school, Dyer had plenty of options when it came to college. Harvard, he said, allowed him to challenge himself and surround himself with students doing likewise.

“Opportunities with Engineers Without Borders wouldn’t exist without surrounding myself with the right people,” Dyer noted. “The study abroad trip when I was at Polk State really started this journey for me. People at Harvard like Chris Lombardo, (Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Harvard School of Engineering of Applied Sciences), have really pushed me along the way.”

Study abroad locations for Polk State students in 2024 include Japan, France, and Costa Rica. All upcoming study abroad opportunities can be found here. More information about dual enrollment at Polk State can be found here.