For Nina, founder of the international radio station Purple Rose Planet in Michigan, joining the International Summer Programme was more than an academic opportunity - it was the fulfilment of a dream she hadn’t dared to imagine. While studying for a Master of Liberal Arts at Johns Hopkins University, she discovered the programme and leapt at the chance to study literature at Cambridge.
“I looked at the programme and thought, ‘Wow, this is an awesome opportunity,’” she said. “I’d never been to the UK before, and I didn’t know how I’d fit in - but I was on a plane before I knew it.”
Arriving in Cambridge, the experience was as surreal as it was inspiring. “You hear about places like Cambridge, so rich in culture and history, and never think you’ll have the chance to study there,” she said. “I was just looking around thinking, ‘Wow, I’m really here.’”
Nina embraced the full collegiate experience - from dining in the historic halls to quiet walks through the gardens - and found something she’d longed for: the sense of learning within a community. “This was my first real experience of being on a university campus with other students,” she said. “Although I’d had a great academic journey, I missed that part of school life - and I found it here, with people from all walks of life.”
She enrolled in literature courses exploring authors such as Dickens, Tolkien and Carroll, and wrote an essay on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that counted toward her degree at Johns Hopkins. “It’s not every day you get to write an essay judged to the standard of a university like Cambridge,” she said. “It really boosted my academic confidence.”
The classroom experience was equally impactful. “The instructors were active scholars, and everyone brought different perspectives,” she said. “It was mature, welcoming, and insightful - I loved it.”
Reflecting on her time at Cambridge, Nina said, “I had to take a moment every day and high five myself. It felt like an outstanding achievement.” Inspired by the experience, she plans to return.
“I never dreamed I’d study at Cambridge,” she said. “But I fell in love with it - and now I want to come back again and again.”
Step into a global classroom with centuries of inspiration behind it.
Discover the official International Summer Programme at University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education.