Scaling Mount Vesuvius, gazing at the Duomo, witnessing penguins in Patagonia, delighting in “Harry Potter” in Heidelberg — where the Heidelberg Castle looks like Hogwarts — and soaking in the summer in Fiji and Kenya. These are just a few of the experiences of some faculty children.
Briana Plank, daughter of Biology Professor Donna Nofzinger Plank, described her experiences growing up as a faculty child in Pepperdine’s International Programs as “magical.”
“It felt like a fairytale,” Briana Plank said.
Briana Plank participated in five abroad experiences with her mother, starting from 2 years old in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She visited B.A. at ages 2, 5 and 12, and went more recently to Kenya and Fiji.
Briana’s sister, Alex Plank, described this uncommon way of growing up as “unique.”
“I didn’t miss home when I was in B.A.,” Alex Plank said.
Briana and Alex Plank are two of many faculty children to have adventures abroad. Most faculty IP kids who were interviewed described their experiences as ethereal, but some touched on difficulties in their experiences living across the world.
More to the story
Each faculty child had their own stories of experiencing overseas at different ages, including preschool, elementary, middle and high school. No one could define their experiences as all-encompassingly perfect, nor could they report it being anything less than extraordinary.
Joelle Choi, 10-year-old-daughter of Communication Professor Charles Choi, said she attends a bilingual school in Florence this spring, where some classes are in Italian and others are in English.
One of Joelle’s teachers does not speak English at all, and Joelle said she sometimes has to work twice as hard in school.
“I’m learning independence and figuring it out,” Joelle said.
Joelle’s brother Jordan, who is 6, is having a harder time.
“Jordan misses being understood,” Jordan’s mother, Elisia Choi, said. “He doesn’t want to be the only one who doesn’t speak Italian. He wants to go home so that everyone can understand him.”
For a young child who is abroad with their family, there are more trade-offs than others may initially realize, sources said.
Organizational Behavior Professor Christopher Collins spent the Spring 2022 semester in Florence and then headed straight to B.A. for the Fall 2022 semester with his family. Mateo Collins, 11, said he got to spend his birthday in Rome and visit the Perito Moreno glacier before he was 10.
“Nothing was hard,” Mateo said.
Meanwhile, his younger sister Adela, 9, said she “really missed her cats,” while in Florence and B.A.
For the Collins kids, their apartments in B.A. and Florence became home — where they felt close to their parents and enjoyed meeting Pepperdine students.
“The apartments were home,” Adela said. “I really missed Florence when we went to B.A.”
Madison Perrin, daughter of Sociology Professor Robin D. Perrin and Psychology Professor Cindy L. Perrin, said she felt lucky to have lived abroad.
Perrin said she missed other 12-year-olds while in Heidelberg, but spending a year of high school in Florence was the “peak of her existence,” and she got to do college classes earlier than most.
Meanwhile, Alex Plank said being an American in a large group made her feel uncomfortable and anxious.
“It was hard being brand new and sticking out in a country,” Alex Plank said. “Not only being an American, but being an American in a group of 30 people, all of us walking around together and wearing matching T-shirts. It wasn’t my personality.”
Growing up in IP boosts connections
Alex Plank said she gained more self-agency and personal empowerment over her struggles with anxiety while abroad.
Moving from Malibu to Waco, Texas, for college became less daunting as she reminded herself of how she faced some of her biggest, most uncomfortable challenges when abroad as a kid.
“It [abroad] was a good callback for me in new, stressful situations,” Alex Plank said.
Briana Plank said living abroad at a young age helped her escape the “Malibu bubble.” Instead of growing up with the same people of the same economic status, she heard many different life stories and engaged with cultures that pose different challenges than Malibu’s.
“Everyone gives and takes equally,” Briana Plank said. “Everyone is so loving. They do it out of the kindness of their heart, and it is not transactional. People aren’t expecting anything back in return.”
Growing up abroad had influences on personal and family connections.
Madison Perrin said she saw her parents in their element — teaching. Work and personal life were interconnected, bringing the Perrins closer as a family.
Mateo and Adela Collins said homeschooling for 45 minutes to an hour a day gave them plenty of quality time with their parents and the students, creating a special perception of “home.”
For the Choi family, there is a level of closeness and intimacy that developed while abroad, Elisia Choi said. Joelle and Jordan love to be with their family and enjoy the versatility of their life in Europe — like free art classes and going to St. Peter’s Basilica
“We win together, we lose together,” Joelle Choi said.
It is impossible to narrow down what it is like growing up as an IP kid – but each of these children faced both awe of the world and their own challenges.
“I remember thinking, ‘I am going to remember this for the rest of my life,’” Briana Plank said about an evening in Fiji. “I was so at peace and happy and content.”
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Contact Jessie Furrow via email: jessica.furrow@pepperdine.edu or on Instagram: @jessiefurrow
