The abduction of a foreign leader was not on most students’ bingo cards for winter break. Once news headlines began appearing about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and how his wife were removed from Venezuela, most people scratched their heads in confusion, wondering where the news came from and why it happened.

“Parents have a significant impact on the value system and the ideological system that children develop over time. We’re all impacted by the messages that we hear growing up in our parents’ home,” McAninch said.

Ramsey is a sophomore from Waco studying economics and international studies in Arabic. Ramsey went to Amman, Jordan, with Qasid, an Arabic Institute Program running from June through August. But she didn’t suspect the challenges and conflicts that would occur in the coming days.

Although the war seems like it could be worlds away, it impacts Baylor students in a more personal way than most generally assume — particularly in the grocery store runs, Stolze said.