RADFORD, Va., June 12 -- Radford University issued the following news release:

Surrounded by lush, tree-covered mountains and the Mae Klong River, graduate occupational therapy student Alexis Hague peered up the hundreds of stairs leading to the centuries-old Wat Baan Tham, or Dragon Cave Temple, in Thailand.

As she ascended, Hague took short breaks to appreciate the view and reflect on the opportunity afforded by the study abroad trip with 12 Radford University classmates. Eventually, she reached a daunting see-through spiral metal staircase. Left with a fear of heights from a previous accident, Hague began turning back before thinking to herself, "I haven't come this far to only come this far." Step by step, she climbed 511 stairs, grow...