I have been to eight different countries, and three different continents. The first time I traveled out of the United States, I was less than a year old, and the first time I ventured outside of the continent, I was 9. I am not telling you all this to brag; rather, I want to show how thankful I am to be privileged enough to see all these places.

My first trip to Europe was when I was in the fourth grade. By happenstance, I was lucky enough to go with a bunch of my cousins, and by a bunch I mean second- and third-cousins totaling up to 30, to watch my Italian cousin be ordained as a priest. The entire ceremony was performed in Italian and the only thing I understood, or even really remember, is the laying of the hands, because we'd learned about it in my religion class.

Although I don't remember much about the ordination, I became very close to cousins that I rarely saw before. I spent my first day there competing with my cousin Paul to see who could eat the most cups of gelato. (I won, eating 3 1/2 servings of gelato in a matter of four hours.) From this experience, I am now much closer with a cousin I used to see maybe once or twice a year.

Traveling with family is a wonderful way to become closer with each other, but the act of traveling in itself is an amazing experience. The world is a beautiful place, and to have the opportunity to see its many monuments is incredible. I was blessed enough to go on a student ambassador trip to China. The cool part about this was that I had a deeper experience than the typical tourist. For example, my fellow ambassadors and I went to see the school where "The Karate Kid" was filmed, and afterwards we received a lesson from the instructors at the school. Beyond seeing this beautiful school and watching an incredible performance, we got a hands-on experience with renowned instructors.

Seeing and learning karate was a beautiful thing, but being able to climb the Great Wall of China was even more amazing. The pure mass of the wall is an incredible sight. Being able to not only see an integral part of Chinese culture, but also being able to say you climbed it is one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever done.

I've been lucky to be able to see so much the world at such a young age, and I am forever grateful. It's brought me closer to my family in many ways and has opened my eyes to different cultures and ways off living that I would have never experienced without traveling. As my sophomore friends prepare to go abroad, I wish them the best of luck and hope they have just as great of an experience as I have had while exploring different parts of this beautiful world. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents to allowing me the opportunity to travel and gain memories that I will never forget.