Lauren Zychowicz

LA101H
Motivational Speech Outline

GAIN ATTENTION:
1. Personal story #1: Playing soccer with Italian girl; neither of us spoke nor
understood each other’s language, but still, we somehow connected.
 It is times like these that fascinate me about the world outside of our own.
2. Personal story #2: Travel back to Italy; have 6-hour feast with family and
thought I had witnessed all Italian culture could give me, but then saw five
year old cousin chugging glass of wine; not unusual or uncommon, but
normative.
 Again, it is times like these that fascinate me about the world outside of our
own.
3. I’ve been to 11 different countries and 15 different islands; traveling outside
of the U.S. is the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had during my lifetime.

NEED:
1. Majority of Americans have never been out of the U.S.
2. Statistics (visual)= According to U.S. Department of State, only 37% of the
population have passports; this means that 2 out of 3 Americans are confined
within the U.S. borders.
3. Travel declines as schooling and age increases: once we graduate, adult
obligations develop (tied down with career, grad school, relationship).
4. What does this all mean?: Most of us will never experience a culture outside
of our own; most of us will never see the Eiffel Tower or Coliseum in person,
but only through pictures from Google; most of us will never be able to fully
appreciate the roots that our country is built upon.

THESIS: We may never be able to completely get the majority of Americans

overseas, but there are accessible and relevant steps that can be taken to increase
cross-country travel. As students, we are afforded a great and feasible opportunity:
studying abroad may be the key to conquering our nation-wide cultural ignorance.

SATISFACTION:
1. Traveling as a student does not require you to take a leave from your career
or other adult obligations; instead, students simply exchange their semester
in the United States for one in a foreign country
2. The majority of study abroad programs are not even focused around the
studies=daily trips to famous sites or other countries!
3. To study abroad is to fully enrich our knowledge base of the world around us.
NEED:
1. How many students actually utilize this opportunity?
2. Statistics (visual)= According to the Open Doors Report from the Institute of
International Education, 260,327 students studied abroad last year in the
U.S., but out of 18 million undergraduates, that means that only 1.4% of
college students went abroad.
3. What about Penn State students?
4. Statistics= Penn state is ranked 8th in nation for the total number of study
abroad students (according to the Open Doors Report)
5. But just how many students does it take to rank 8th in the nation?
6. Statistics (visual)= According to the most recent statistics by the University
Office of Global Programs, only 3.5% of all University Park PSU students
studied abroad, while 96.47% didn’t.
7. Why are so many students opting to pass this opportunity up?

SATISFACTION:
1. Penn State makes it easy for you to study abroad: advisors dedicated to
helping students through process, detailed websites (handout), extensive list
of programs and descriptions.
Removing Obstacles:
1. Like many students, finances of studying abroad may be an obstacle; but
rest assured that there are solutions: PSU offers 40 merit and need-based
scholarships, financial aid and student loans are obtainable, Paterno Fellows
program offers financial support for “enrichment activities” such as study
abroad.
2. Another problem many students encounter is time (many think that
studying abroad for a semester may obstruct course schedules or graduation
time): Study abroad in the summer! Many of the programs are only six weeks
which still allows a student to acquire an internship or job for the summer.

VISUALIZATION:
1. With so many possibilities to consider, neglecting such an incredible
opportunity is to willfully reject your chances of appreciating the world
outside of the U.S.
2. This may be your only chance to open yourself both intrinsically and
extrinsically to foreign culture, history, and principle.
3. Increasing student study abroad rates will help form a trend in which
enlisting in a program is a university norm.
4. As traveling becomes normative through college, the number of Americans
who have been cross-country will undoubtedly increase.
5. We, as students, have the power to not only enrich our own lives by traveling,
but to inspire those around us to do so as well.
ACTION:
1. I encourage you to consider this amazing opportunity!
2. The handout I’ve given to you details the step-by-step process that the
University Office of Global Program recommends.
3. Before this school year runs out, make sure to talk to your advisor about an
interest in studying abroad; although many deadlines have passed for the
next school year, some have been extended, for example a study abroad trip
to Athens for next spring which has a deadline in May.
4. It is never too late to start thinking about studying abroad and signing up for
the next available school year or summer program.

CONCLUSION:
1. Before traveling to another country, you will be filled with excitement,
interest, and curiosity.
2. The process of studying abroad will create independence, cross-cultural skills,
and enrichment.
3. And when you leave, I guarantee you’ll have a global awareness that will
change your life forever!

References:

"Open Doors Data." Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

Institute of International Education, 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data>.

"Passport Statistics." Travel.State.Gov. Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of

State, Jan. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.
<http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppi/stats/stats_890.html>.

University Office of Global Programs: Penn State University of Global Programs

Facts 2009.
<http://www.international.psu.edu/about/pdf/fact_book.pdf>.