Having visited “more countries than [she] can count on [her] fingers and toes,” Lisa Brown just may be one of the most well-traveled people on Case Western Reserve’s campus. And that’s incredibly important, considering her job. Brown serves as the study abroad adviser in the Center for International Affairs, working with students to find an international experience that best suits their needs.
This experience could range from a semester or full year overseas to a short-term study abroad program, such as the new Spring II session, in which students register as part of spring semester but don’t actually travel until May, after final exams end. (Coincidentally, the deadline to apply for all spring break and spring II study abroad programs is today.)
“I've always loved learning, and traveling allows you to learn with all five senses,” Brown said. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of helping college students see the world.”
For Brown, her passion for international travel began with her own study abroad experience as an undergraduate student. A Japanese major in college, she traveled to Japan, where she ended up living for two and a half years—an experience that changed her life.
“Before moving to Japan, I had a very black-and-white perspective of the world, and living among another culture totally changed my perspective,” she said. “It made me a more mature, empathetic and introspective person.”
It also opened her up to learning more about other cultures—including their languages. The self-professed “serial language dabbler” speaks and/or reads Japanese, French and Spanish and has taken classes in Chinese, Arabic and Amharic.
Brown also is a master of the English language—as a tournament Scrabble player. She competed in 23 tournaments last year and is the fourth-ranked female in Ohio.
From travel to Scrabble, there are many reasons Brown stands out as an interesting individual. Read her answers to The Daily’s five questions to find out more.
1. What are you reading—and how are you reading it (print vs. digital)?
I always read seven books at a time so that I can switch between topics and languages. Right now I’m reading:
- Herzog by Saul Bellow
- “Boule de Suif” et “Mademoiselle Fifi” by Guy de Maupassant
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- GO by Kazuki Kaneshiro
- Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
- La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese