Lawrence’s student-athletes embrace chance to study abroad; coaches encourage it

A first-team all-conference player in high school, Makenzy Dreher had options as to where she would play college soccer. She wanted a soccer program that was competitive and welcoming, and she wanted to study biology with a focus on marine science. Lawrence University checked the box on both.

But it was the third item on her checklist that sealed the deal—she wanted a chance to study abroad, something that isn’t a given for student-athletes at many schools.

“One reason I specifically came to Lawrence was because I could play soccer at a collegiate level and have the opportunity to study abroad,” said Dreher, a biology major from Johnstown, Colorado, who spent Spring Term studying in New Zealand. “It is a big reason why I knew Lawrence was the perfect fit for me.”

Rain Orsi ’24, an international relations major from Fitchburg, Wisconsin, who graduated in June following four years competing in track and field and cross country, sings a similar tune. She spent the summer and Fall Term of 2022 studying in a Spanish immersion program in Argentina. Having that opportunity as a student-athlete was a priority. It’s a key reason she opted for a Division III program.

“I knew that if I chose to continue my athletics into college, I wanted to make sure I did so in a way that still allowed me to do other things that were important to me,” Orsi said. “I am a student-athlete, but I am many other things besides, and it was important to me to be somewhere that I could develop not only as an athlete but as a student and a person. Lawrence wound up being the school that allowed me all three of those things.”

Study abroad takes student-athletes away from their team, away from their training regimen. At many schools, that’s a deal-breaker. At Lawrence, it’s a promise made during the recruiting process. Athletes are not only allowed to go abroad; they are encouraged to do so.

Jason Imperati, director of athletics at Lawrence, calls it a “major recruiting tool.” Joe Sagar, Lawrence’s women’s soccer coach, points to Lawrence’s trimester system as an advantage. It allows student-athletes to be abroad for one 10-week term rather than half the academic year. 20% of his roster this past year studied abroad in either Winter or Spring terms.

“Studying abroad is a major opportunity for a young person to grow themselves in terms of experiences and cultural awareness, experiencing things they have never done before,” Sagar said. “It is a huge part of the women’s soccer program.”

While London, where Lawrence has featured the London Centre for more than 50 years, remains the most popular study abroad destination for Lawrentians, it is but one of many options. Nearly 50 programs in 30 countries are available to Lawrence students. 

Studying in New Zealand

Dreher joined three of her soccer teammates from the Class of 2025—Maya Alberts, Natalie Linebarger, and Sophia Morin—at the University of Auckland in New Zealand for Spring Term. She took classes in marine science and marine organisms, building on work she’s done at Lawrence in preparation for a graduate program in marine biology.

She said New Zealand was on her radar after a soccer teammate last year raved about her study abroad experience there.

“The classes offered were different and specifically for marine science,” Dreher said. “The program in Auckland is very popular as the country is surrounded by the ocean. I wanted to experience the environment that New Zealand had to offer—things such as surfing, going on amazing hikes, always being less than a 10-minute walk to the ocean. It has been an unreal experience.”

Dreher also joined Morin and Linebarger in taking a class focused on local dance customs.

“I have learned seven different dances and songs that all have different meanings such as to show love, show fierceness entering battle, give awareness to an issue, or remember someone who has passed,” she said. “This class really pushed me out of my comfort zone.”

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Dreher and the others also trained and competed with the University of Auckland soccer team, allowing them to stay connected to the game. Her Lawrence coaches remained mostly hands-off while she and her teammates were abroad, asking only for sensible decisions when it comes to training.

“Being in the Lawrence women’s soccer program, our team instills that we are not only working and training for ourselves but for the players next to you on the field, so continuing to weight-lift, condition, and get touches on the ball is something that we do as much as we can,” Dreher said.

The Argentina experience

Orsi said she chose to study in Argentina because it was a Spanish language immersion program.

“Between living with my host family and the classes I selected, I ended up in almost a full language-immersion environment, which is what I wanted out of studying abroad,” she said. “It was a wonderful experience.”

Orsi said her term studying abroad came following cross country and track seasons in which she was battling injuries. While she was still training in Argentina, it was at a less intense pace.

“My study abroad was a well-timed step back,” she said. “I took the time I was going to be abroad to focus on running consistent mileage again, even if it was lower than I would run normally, and building up my strength again in a way that wouldn’t re-injure me. When I came back to Wisconsin, I ended up having one of the best outdoor track seasons of my career, and I think in large part that was because I got to take a step back from competing while I was abroad and just focus on training for the long term.”