In May 2018, Kidest Beyene studied alongside Senegalese peers through the "Francophone Africa: Between Tradition & Modernity" study abroad program.

"This past month I was able to take part in the "Francophone Africa: Between Tradition & Modernity" study abroad. I traveled throughout Senegal for a month to study the effects that colonization and slavery has had on contemporary Senegal," reflects Kidest Beyene. "Each week we focused on a specific theme. The four themes we learned about was history/religion, art, media, and cinema & politics. World renown professors, philosophers, and artists were brought to our classroom to teach us everyday."

"I didn't only study with OSU students; a group of Senegalese peers studied with us as well! They enhanced my experience; we all became close brothers and sisters. We traveled to different cities each weekend to visit a site related to the week's theme. This picture was taken in the city of Saint-Louis, where we spent the weekend traveling around the city and learning of its significance as Senegal's previous capital city during colonization."