(Editor and videographer contributor for this video, video clips courtesy of University of Michigan School of Information)

Each semester, students from around the world have a chance to leave their current country and attend the University of Michigan for a semester as exchange students. In fall 2021, Lucie Tatoušková decided to leave the Prague University of Economics and Business where she studied international economic relations and attend the University of Michigan School of Information. 

Exchange students come from one of UMSI’s bilateral exchange partner universities and must be nominated by their home school advisor to be eligible for the program.

Lucie took classes at the Ross School of Business and UMSI. “I’m trying to connect the dots between business and information, as well as sustainability, and the University of Michigan is the leader in these fields particularly,” Lucie says. 

She signed up for SI 339: Web design, development, and accessibility. In that class, students learn responsive, accessible front-end programming for web design through a hands-on approach. “I am so impressed by this course,” Lucie says. “You’re not only getting experience in HTML as well as CSS3 and JavaScript, but at the end of the semester you’re actually working on your own portfolio. This is something useful for my future."

Through clubs and student organizations, Lucie found a community at U-M. “I feel like all of the students are connected,” Lucie says. “You can kind of relax yourself, meet your passions and your hobbies.” Lucie participated in the Sierra Club at the University of Michigan and helped teach American students with Czech parents how to speak the Czech language. The Sierra Club at the University of Michigan allows students to enjoy outdoor activities and connects students with the national Sierra Club organization through its sustainability initiatives and environmental political engagement actions. 

Being involved in the community and connecting with other students in and outside of class helped Lucie conquer a fear of feeling alone while at U-M. “I just realized that I am not here alone. There are so many internationals, especially studying at the School of Information,” Lucie says. “Everyone was socializing and trying to help each other. It was weird at the beginning, but then it was amazing because I feel like I belong.”