Through Linking Lives, students develop a global perspective and sense of community

Allison Dunnegan ’27 collected a great deal of unforgettable experiences from her time in the Linking Lives study abroad program, whether she was riding an Alpine coaster in Switzerland or watching baby elephants play in the mud in Rwanda.  

Linking Lives is unique in that it allows students to spend time in both Lugano, Switzerland, and a country in eastern Africa, most recently Rwanda. Above all else, what sticks with her most are the connections that she made in both places.  

“I had always considered studying abroad, and it felt like this program had everything I wanted: community, unique faculty, new experiences and of course the bonus chance to study in two different countries,” said Dunnegan, who participated in the program in fall 2025. 

This year marks 25 years since David Brinberg, Kathleen G. Digges professor emeritus in marketing at Virginia Tech, founded Linking Lives. The program lived at Virginia Tech until 2023 and is now administered by Roanoke College. Students start out in Lugano, taking classes from U.S. professors and spending their weekends exploring the surrounding areas of Europe. The fall semester is focused on creating sustainable social change, while the spring semester is centered around marketing and business development.  

Then, students travel to Rwanda to engage in an experiential learning project. Linking Lives partners with local non-governmental organizations, and students are assigned projects based on the needs of these NGO partners. For past projects, students have painted murals and worked in agricultural fields.  

While in Rwanda, students also collaborate with local schools to develop, implement and deliver lessons on topics such as English as a second language, basic computer skills, U.S. culture and professional development.  

Both semesters, students are required to write grant proposals to support efforts of the program’s NGO partners. Over the last few years, they have submitted three of these proposals to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda, and all three were funded, Brinberg said.  

“The first project was teaching decision-making, leadership and entrepreneurship to a women's cooperative in a rural region in Rwanda,” he said. “The second grant that was funded was doing the same type of thing, but extended it to learning computer coding, so that the women can teach computer coding to primary school children. And the third project extended that even more to use Legos to teach that in both summer camps and in primary schools.” 

Community building is a foundational element of the Linking Lives program, and an element that sets it apart from other study abroad programs. Students aren’t allowed to use cell phones or even computers in class, and at dinner, students have randomly assigned seating to help everyone get to know each other, Brinberg said. It becomes like one big family, and students often stay in contact with one another long after the trip is over — in fact, Brinberg has seen more than a dozen marriages come out of the program. He officiated one such wedding in Lugano.   

“This program is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will allow you to freely learn on a global scale,” Dunnegan said. “You will be supported throughout it and leave with a tight-knit community of friends from both Roanoke and from the parts of our world you will have discovered.”  

Dunnegan, a double major in public health and sociology, feels like this program helped her narrow down her career aspirations. She’s now certain she’d like to pursue a career in global health. The opportunity to work in a community in Rwanda and witness the difference it made was incredibly impactful, she said.  

“Even though our community projects only helped one community, we were able to see the positive outcomes for all the people there and understand that small change is still change — and the small things turn into big things,” Dunnegan said.   

The cost to participate in the program is roughly the same as it would be to remain on campus for the semester. To learn more about the program and apply, visit https://www.linkinglives.org/.