I have been blessed with two divine individuals who have allowed me to travel the world in the short 19 years I have been on this extraordinary planet. My parents provided me with numerous opportunities to explore and adventure out of the smaller community I was raised in. Not every individual has been given these chances that have fostered some of my favorite memories, and I do not take that for granted in the slightest.

Ideally my goal has been to go somewhere I have yet to experience the culture of, somewhere far away from home to push myself, somewhere "beachy," somewhere filled with risky and adventurous filled activities. Most importantly, I need to go somewhere affordable. Affordable in regards to money and of time, which, let’s face it - your twenties are so precious. To just pick up our busy lives and change our whole schedule is difficult as a young adult. Between finding time to experience life we still have classes, jobs and internships. Although I am only 19 and a sophomore in college, I will be graduating as a junior and heading straight off to law school (hopefully) which in reality, leaves me very little time to grace myself with the joys of traveling. This is where I begin to stress the importance of college study abroad programs.

This is growing into such a popular endeavor now a days and I am a huge advocate for it. I strongly believe everyone should travel outside of their country and truly experience a culture completely different from their own. Study abroad programs provide this while still keeping young people on track with school and most of the time are providing a more viable option for students with affordable, housing, flights and the chance to fully immerse in the culture instead of just a casual touristy visit. One of my biggest pet peeves, ask my mom, is feeling touristy and doing too many touristy things. My ideal day would be to just sit in a coffee shop and watch - the people, the scenery, the behavior, take them all in. Everyone likes to travel different, do different things, but when you study abroad you get more of an opportunity to really become one with the place, immerse yourself fully, find the hidden places. You discover the local’s favorite places, secret stores, restaurants and concealed destinations. The type of stuff off the maps.

For being such a big advocate for the study abroad program, I have yet to actually experience it myself personally. So, my advice on the actual experience is limited, but what I can say is I am looking into beginning my own journey within the study abroad world and have never been more motivated and enthusiastic about this kind of trip. Since I only have one more year and a semester left of my undergraduate career, I am planning on spending my final semester of undergraduate school in…. drumroll… Australia! Providing my mother and father (love you Tobi and Rene) will support this endeavor. All in all, come to me and tell me your study abroad stories... I thrive off them and they only continue to inspire me more.