Summer Break with Janelle Choi ’26

August 26, 2026

Join Janelle Choi for a Summer Break with the College of Arts and Sciences!

Janelle Choi ’26, a senior from Sacramento, California, is majoring in environmental science on the quantitative energy systems track, with a minor in geographic information sciences. She is particularly interested in smart cities and how cities adapt to climate change. This summer, she studied across Europe with Honors Carolina, and she wanted to bring us along! Janelle sat down and shared her thoughts on environmental urban planning, cultural experiences and the people who helped her along the way!

Where did you go on your study abroad trip?

This summer (2026) I participated in the Germany, Finland and Estonia Sustainability Burch Field Research Seminar, and in each of these countries I studied energy systems, urban planning, education and entrepreneurship. Each day was filled with meetings or tours with start-up founders, clean tech businesses, universities and government officials. Additionally, thanks to the John Hood and Edith Shuford Summey Honors Carolina Study Abroad Scholarship, I had the chance to spend eight days across the Netherlands and in Copenhagen learning about flood resilience and sustainable urban planning.

How did funding help you?

Spending seven weeks across Europe learning what I am truly passionate about is something I never thought would be possible. The Summey Scholarship and the Strata Energy Scholarship through the UNC Institute for the Environment opened doors to opportunities I couldn’t otherwise access. These funding opportunities are the reason why I was able to partake in this program and bring back the lessons that I did.

Why did you decide to take part in this study abroad opportunity?

From my first year at UNC, I’ve been learning about energy policy and resilient infrastructure in European countries, and this has been looked at as a model for other countries. This study abroad program brought together my interests in urban planning and renewable energy and gave me an opportunity to explore startup environments and entrepreneurship in a way that I’ve never really thought about before. Being in Europe for the first time, I thought it would be a great opportunity to explore these practices that I’ve learned so much about on the ground and also learn something that I never really considered before.

Leaving the Comfort Zone:

This summer I was lucky enough to spend time in eight different countries. Some for just a day, others for several weeks, but in each of these places I was pushed to navigate new languages, new customs and new cultures. I learned how to use trams correctly, I learned to scan the receipt to exit the grocery store, and I learned how to greet people in German, Finnish and Estonian. I learned to be okay with being wrong and trying anyway. It taught me to be confident when approaching unfamiliar situations, to embrace the unknown and enjoy being comfortable in positions of learning. I know I will carry these lessons with me for the rest of my life. This experience was truly something that pushed me out of my comfort zone and something that I know will, and has already, reaped so many benefits.

Incredible Experiences:

We spent around two weeks in Vassa, Finland, and during that time, we had the chance to meet with nearly a dozen companies working on energy efficiency. Those companies all belong to the Vassa Energy Cluster, which is an organization that brings collaboration to the forefront of all these organizations’ minds. We walked around factories for all these locations, heard from marketing directors and saw a university scientist working with the technology. The scale of collaboration between companies, universities and the government was really amazing to see. Something that all these companies were proud to share was that they had some product or system on Wasaline, a Finnish shipping company which operates some of the world’s most efficient and environmentally sustainable ships for passengers and freight. The ferry goes from Vassa to Sweden, and we got to ride the ferry and tour the engine room. On the way back, we had the chance to see the most vibrant and beautiful sky with the sunset over the ocean, and this was truly the most memorable learning moment, as well as a bonding moment between all the students as we danced on top of the ship and enjoyed the view on the way back.

New Cultural Experiences:

One of my favorite cultural experiences was spending midsummer in Helsinki, Finland, with the friends I made in the program along the way. On the longest day of the year, flower crowns on our heads, we watched Finnish folk songs and dances and a midsummer bonfire on Seurasaari Island. And when we came back, we watched the United States play in the World Cup in Helsinki’s fan zone. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will not forget.

Representing Carolina Abroad

I find it true that Tar Heels are pretty much everywhere. I met Carolina folks at a restaurant in Vassa, Finland, on a dock in Copenhagen and at a site visit in Amsterdam. Honors Carolina‘s slogan “come here, go anywhere” comes to mind. It’s been true for me as a student. I’ve had the opportunity to study abroad several times thanks to generous donors, and it seems to be true for Carolina alumni as well who make it across the world. Carolina’s slogan “first and for all” also comes to mind. For me, what it means to represent Carolina while abroad is wherever we go, to ask, “how can we take these lessons back to serve the people of North Carolina?”

“How can we take these lessons back to serve the people of North Carolina?”

Inspired to face life’s “Wicked Problems”

My time abroad taught me a lot about hope and about dreaming. In class, we talk a lot about “wicked problems,” the problems that seem difficult or impossible to solve, from climate change to poverty to misinformation and more. UNC has given me the opportunity to see how countries and organizations are working towards tackling these wicked problems, whether it’s courses on digital literacy in primary school or tracking weather to increase the capacity of energy lines to increase efficiency and lower carbon emissions. I got to see firsthand the highly varied and passion-fueled projects people are involved in across industries. As a student, learning about this progress was really inspiring.

How does this opportunity influence your future?

I had the chance to connect with business professionals across industries and across countries. I got to see flood resilience techniques like the Water Square Benthemplein in Rotterdam, and how residents are interacting with this space. Because of the program, I learned so much about what I was already interested in, and I was also introduced to things that I never even knew existed.

I now know I have career interests in bridging sustainable innovation and implementation, and as I continue my studies, I will be able to call on model planning practices I saw throughout the summer.

What are you looking forward to after your trip?

I’m looking forward to wrapping up my undergrad degree and jumping into a dual degree program with Carolina’s Master of City and Regional Planning program. I’m excited to continue learning about innovative, sustainable and equitable planning in my next few years here at UNC.