European roots enhance the Study Abroad Office
Virginija Wilcox, Associate Dean of International and Off-Campus Programs at Bethel University, has made her mark on students and faculty alike.
By Hannah Bronner, journalist
Virginija Wilcox sits happily at her grandmother’s house on Christmas. Early in the morning, traditional Lithuanian food wafts through the air. Boiled potatoes. Eggs. Herring. Virginija, 7, helps out as much as she can. Her extended family works in all corners of the kitchen, engaged in conversation. After helping with the preparations, she spends the rest of the day playing Christmas games with her cousins. The girls write down the names of boys and put them underneath their pillows. In the morning, they pick a name, which foretells their future husband.
“I just remember having that full day where it’s just like a beehive — everyone would be doing something,” Wilcox said.
When the Christmas dinner was ready, her family sat around the table, and her grandmother would pray. It was the first peaceful moment that day.
At the time Wilcox was born, Lithuania was under Soviet power. She grew up in “the time of recovery” without many resources.
“I saw people struggle. I saw people work multiple jobs,” she said.
Thirty years later, Wilcox’s upbringing still shapes her. She uses her Lithuanian roots to benefit her work in the Study Abroad office at Bethel University. She relies on her family for support during the unpredictable changes she faces due to COVID-19.
Her parents pushed education. They didn’t care about grades. Education was a way out.
“They made sure I chose college,” Wilcox said.
“(I’m) not really a complainer honestly. I just tried to power through it because I know if we are given something we are able to do it.” — Virginija Wilcox, Associate Dean of International and Off-Campus Programs
But lacking so much, she said, made her resilient, self-motivated and self-driven.
“(I’m) not really a complainer, honestly. I just tried to power through…” Wilcox said.
This resilience led Wilcox to a bachelor’s degree in theology and linguistics starting at Vytautas Magnus University, one of the best schools in Lithuania. She chose to study abroad while in college, and applied with a notice so short, she may have missed the opportunity.
She went to the study abroad person, finding out that day was the deadline to apply for spring term.
“I was like, OK I’m doing it,” she said.
But Wilcox’s idea of the United States came solely from movies. She thought everywhere was like Miami or Los Angeles. She arrived in the Black Hills, South Dakota, in January to a mountainous region filled with snow and cornfields, a stark contrast from her ideas of sunshine and palm trees.
However, she grew to love the educational experience in the U.S. and stayed at Black Hills State University to finish her undergraduate degree. One particularly strange but welcomed adjustment was seeing how much of a voice her foreign classmates had. This wasn’t always the case back home.
“Everyone’s opinions mattered and were valued,” Wilcox said. She especially loved the academic approach of her field: English literature. The courses were taught using discussion-based approaches, which aligned with Wilcox’s learning style. It was her life-changing study abroad experience that led Wilcox to work in International Education.
Wilcox became the Associate Dean of International and Off-Campus Programs at Bethel University on March 22, 2021. Her days are spent putting out fires, overseeing budget accounts and addressing COVID-19 protocol. Her favorite part is talking to faculty and students about these programs.
“I’ve been told my story … inspires and motivates people. I am from a different country … but I also did study abroad and it completely changed my life,” she said.
Her job, though she loves it, has been made especially challenging with the coming of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has crippled international education. Period,” Wilcox said. She has needed the resilience instilled in her to overcome the challenging times.
International mobility was non-existent following the first COVID-19 breakthroughs in 2019. People were furloughed and laid off. Borders shut down and limited the possibility of studying outside of the United States.
“COVID impacted our field drastically,” Wilcox said.
Through it all, Wilcox has made it her goal to stay positive. The pandemic taught her that “it’s OK to pause when you need to pause.”
“It taught me to respect the mental health time…to rebalance, realign,” she said.
“We would not be where we are without her. We gained an advocate.” — Nikki Kang, Assistant Director of the Office of Off-campus studies
The Study Abroad office has been back on its feet since March.
“We would not be where we are without her,” her colleague, Nikki Kang, said. “We gained an advocate.”
Sooner than later, Wilcox would like to see change at the university. Careful reassessing of spaces. Looking outside the traditional areas to support financial growth. Increasing the number of students who study abroad.
Wilcox’s colleagues, Gracie Grussing and Kang, are encouraged by her.
“This woman is a powerful leader,” Grussing said of her first impression. “(She’s) taught me how to be a woman in the workspace and to command respect from people, but also to make great relationships with people.”
Before Wilcox arrived, Kang was the “one woman office.” The Study Abroad office was run entirely by Kang.
“Once Virginija got here, we were able to…dream about the future,” Grussing said.
“This is the perfect and only time in your life where you would be given this chance to go out of your comfort zone, to be by yourself…in an academic setting.” — Virginija Wilcox, Associate Dean of International and Off-Campus Programs
As studying abroad picks up, Wilcox wants to persuade students to travel abroad.
“This is the perfect and only time in your life where you would be given this chance to go out of your comfort zone, to be by yourself…in an academic setting,” Wilcox said. “I hope that everyone at Bethel and any institution in the world is given the chance and opportunity to engage in this experience.”
Bio Box: Get to know Virginija!
- In her free time, Wilcox enjoys reading, organizing and cleaning.
- Wilcox speaks Lithuanian and English fluently, and can also hold conversations in French and Russian.
- Wilcox and her husband, Mark, met in South Dakota. They have two young daughters, Luka and Adria.
- One of Wilcox’s favorite Bible verses is Phillipans 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
- Bethel is the first Christian institution Wilcox has worked at.
