Since joining Viterbo University in the fall of 2020, nursing professor Lin Rauch has made a lasting impression on her students. This May, she is further advancing her commitment to global education by leading a two-week study abroad program to Thailand. The program, which runs from May 18 to June 2, 2025, will include 9 students and faculty from Viterbo, France, and Arizona.
Among the students attending is sophomore nursing major Annah Lund, who is stepping beyond her comfort zone. “I have never been out of the country, so I wanted to study abroad at some point during my undergrad,” Lund said. “That’s why I chose this trip and I know my professor Lin. Lin is too funny to not go on a trip with.”
Rauch, a highly regarded professor who also teaches VUSM: Francisican Values and Traditions, curated the trip to provide students a meaningful cultural experience that directly connects to both their education and Viterbo’s core values. Students enrolled in the course had the opportunity to sign up for the Thailand trip.
When asked what initially made her want to go to Thailand, Rauch explained, “to learn how to help nursing students to be culturally aware of differences and for Hmong students to have more access to nursing opportunities.” She emphasized that she hopes the experience will give her students “a broader understanding of the sacrifices the Hmong made during the Secret War in Laos and the problems displaced populations face.”
Lund, from La Crosse, Wisconsin, a city with a significant Hmong population, considers the trip aligns closely with Viterbo’s mission. “I think Viterbo as a school is incorporating their students’ culture,” she said. “La Crosse is a very Hmong populated area, and we have a lot of Hmong students that go here. So, they are incorporating their culture into their travels.”
The group’s itinerary is filled with culturally enriching and engaging experiences. “We are visiting temples, lots of temples,” Lund shared. “We get to go to an elephant sanctuary, that is probably my favorite part. We are going to a national park where the temples are. There are different attractions and sights to see in the national park. And then we are doing a sunset, sunrise walk in the mountains, we are going to overlook the river and valley where the people fled from the war that was going on there.”
Rauch said one of the highlights she’s eagerly anticipating is watching the sunrise over the Mekong River from on top of Phu Chi Fa. She also points to visits to Royal Projects that benefit local hilltribes, and discussions on ethical, sustainable tourism. Students will have the opportunity to meet with diverse speakers, including a former CIA agent, whose articles and videos they’ve studied. Additionally, they will meet with a Muslim woman who teaches at a Christian university in a Buddhist country
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“The main cultural focus of the trip,” Rauch said, “is to understand the Hmong diaspora and subsequent outcomes from being displaced in other countries. Also to discuss the Royal Projects and how opium was slowly removed from being a main source of income for the country.”
From scenic mountains and sacred temples to lessons in cultural resilience, the Thailand trip promises to be an unforgettable educational journey—one that bridges classroom learning with global understanding.
