{"id":32347,"date":"2025-12-19T22:19:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T06:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/?p=32347"},"modified":"2026-04-06T15:21:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:21:39","slug":"utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","title":{"rendered":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For UW Bothell student Jeane, what began as homesickness and self-doubt quickly became one of the most defining experiences of her academic journey. Through a four-month study abroad program at Utrecht University College (UCU) in the Netherlands, she explored vibrant cities, engaged in discussions with peers from around the world, and learned to thrive in an entirely unfamiliar environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With average class sizes of just 15 students and a richly diverse international student body, UCU offered a learning environment that challenged and inspired her in ways she hadn’t expected. The experience left Jeane with deeper confidence, sharper intercultural skills, and a lasting appreciation for stepping outside her comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit our website to learn more about Global Initiatives<\/a>, and see how UW Bothell students are gaining transformative experiences around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Continue reading Jeane’s journey<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For UW Bothell student Jeane, what began as homesickness and self-doubt quickly became one of the most defining experiences of her academic journey. Through a four-month study abroad program at Utrecht University College (UCU) in the Netherlands, she explored vibrant cities, engaged in discussions with peers from around the world, and learned to thrive in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":628,"featured_media":32348,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12],"tags":[39],"school":[],"class_list":["post-32347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connected-learning","category-global-initiatives","tag-study-abroad"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Global Initiatives","email":"uwbworld@uw.edu","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Connected Learning","email":"uwbocl@uw.edu","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nUtrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For UW Bothell student Jeane, what began as homesickness and self-doubt quickly became one of the most defining experiences of her academic journey. Through a four-month study abroad program at Utrecht University College (UCU) in the Netherlands, she explored vibrant cities, engaged in discussions with peers from around the world, and learned to thrive in...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Office of Connected Learning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"verine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"verine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"verine\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83\"},\"headline\":\"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\"},\"wordCount\":146,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Study Abroad\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Connected Learning\",\"Global Initiatives\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\",\"name\":\"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"A picture of a city and ice-creams\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"\/#website\",\"url\":\"\/\",\"name\":\"Office of Connected Learning\",\"description\":\"Just another UW Bothell site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83\",\"name\":\"verine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa7b278ed7fd625b65268a97d8c3c262d69d0f58b7a76e261aaacc4a2fcd2dde?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa7b278ed7fd625b65268a97d8c3c262d69d0f58b7a76e261aaacc4a2fcd2dde?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"verine\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/author\/verine\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning","og_description":"For UW Bothell student Jeane, what began as homesickness and self-doubt quickly became one of the most defining experiences of her academic journey. Through a four-month study abroad program at Utrecht University College (UCU) in the Netherlands, she explored vibrant cities, engaged in discussions with peers from around the world, and learned to thrive in...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","og_site_name":"Office of Connected Learning","article_published_time":"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"verine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"verine","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2"},"author":{"name":"verine","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83"},"headline":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang","datePublished":"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2"},"wordCount":146,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg","keywords":["Study Abroad"],"articleSection":["Connected Learning","Global Initiatives"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2","name":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang - Office of Connected Learning","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-20T06:19:10+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T22:21:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2026\/03\/2025-Study-Abroad-Jeane_Marbaniang.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"A picture of a city and ice-creams"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/2025\/12\/19\/utrecht-a-hidden-gem-in-the-netherlands-by-jeane-marbaniang-2#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Utrecht \u2013 a Hidden Gem in the Netherlands by Jeane Marbaniang"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"\/#website","url":"\/","name":"Office of Connected Learning","description":"Just another UW Bothell site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/c596fafdc5c4605f16f2eda080ed6b83","name":"verine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa7b278ed7fd625b65268a97d8c3c262d69d0f58b7a76e261aaacc4a2fcd2dde?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa7b278ed7fd625b65268a97d8c3c262d69d0f58b7a76e261aaacc4a2fcd2dde?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"verine"},"url":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/news\/author\/verine"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/628"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32347"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32404,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32347\/revisions\/32404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32347"},{"taxonomy":"school","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/connected-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/school?post=32347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}