Alumni Interview with Catherine Human

What inspired you to travel abroad?

In high school, I participated in a program with 25 other girls and a few faculty members. We spent about 2 weeks in France and Italy and I absolutely fell in love. Ever since that trip, I knew that I had to study abroad. In college, after a few major changes, I chose hospitality and after learning more about different aspects of the industry I was drawn to the travel and tourism industry. My dream job at the moment is working as a travel director/ coordinator and studying abroad just seemed like the best opportunity for me to gain experience and knowledge of international travel.

Why did you choose Forum Nexus?

I had a hard time finding a program that I was really drawn to and obviously, if I am going to study abroad I want to love the program I choose. I wanted to see as much as possible and I felt restricted by a lot of programs that I came across. I heard about Forum-Nexus from a friend in the hospitality program and immediately looked it up. I loved that it went to so many different places and had opportunities like professional visits and weekend trips. I called my mom and told her all about it and we both decided that I HAD to go!

What was your favorite part about your host country/city?

My favorite part was that we didn't have a host country/city! In 4 weeks, we traveled to 9 cities with the program in 5 countries! We started in Barcelona and spent anywhere from a day to 5 days in cities across Europe. We traveled by plane, private buses, and trains to Barcelona, Paris, Lugano, Geneva, Chamonix, Lake Como, Milan, Rome, and Rhodes. My favorite city of the program was Chamonix, which I did not expect. I had never heard of it before so I didn't know what to expect. It was the most adorable town completely surrounded by the most gorgeous snow-capped mountains. I have honestly never seen anything so beautiful - it was breathtaking.

What made your experience abroad extraordinary?

The main thing that made my experience so extraordinary was everyone that was with Forum-Nexus - as cliche as that sounds. I was literally terrified before the trip because I did not know a single person going but it turns out no one else did either. Basically, every single one of us came from different universities, not only in the United States but also from Egypt and England! We all came in as complete strangers but within the first week seemed like we had all known each other for years. I will never forget how comfortable I was and welcomed by everyone. I can be shy and hold myself back from people but have never really experienced freedom like that, to be 100% me.

How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?

Our staff was pretty small, only three professors and two other directors/ employees. Gabrielle, the assistant director, was immediately supportive and helpful from the second I was accepted. Every time I had a question, I would text her and have a response within 15 minutes! She was so responsive and caring that I literally started to think that I was the only one texting her and probably annoying the crap out of her. While we were there, all of the staff members were just as supportive. Hugo, the director of the program and one of the professors was always the life of the party, dancing on the bus to his favorite songs and cracking bad jokes. The whole staff was just constantly supporting the students with whatever they needed.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?

One thing I wish I would have done while studying abroad was to meet more locals in each city and just people from different places in general. Of course, I did meet a decent amount of people from all around the world but it is something I wish I would have done more of. It was so cool meeting people and just learning about their lives. One of my roommates during the program is from Egypt, and I loved just being able to ask her questions about her normal life and what it was like growing up in Egypt and in return I would answer all of her questions about The United States and my life. I was constantly surrounded by thousands of people from everywhere and the one thing I wish I would have done is to meet more of them.

Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.

On a typical day with classes, we would usually wake up and meet at breakfast in the hotel. From there, we would either go to the conference room of the hotel or a nearby university where we would have two-three classes (depending on how many you take). After class, we would usually grab a bite to eat and head into the city to start exploring. Some days, the whole group would go on professional visits to different European businesses and corporations, like The United Nations, Le Cordon Bleu and Codorniu Winery. Each day was usually pretty different but we always had time to do things on our own.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?

During my free time abroad I really enjoyed sightseeing and finding hidden gems. Usually, a group of us that we're all interested in, would get together and make plans. It was nice to just walk through the cities with no agenda and find cool places to eat or things to see. One of my favorite days of the trip was in Paris. Somehow, probably 20 of us, all ended up sitting under the Eiffel Tower together for hours, drinking wine, eating cheese and getting to know each other. We ended up staying until probably 10 or 11 at night and it was just such a relaxed but memorable night.

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?

In all of the cities, we stayed in super nice hotels and had either one or two roommates. I loved that everyone was in the same hotel and just an elevator ride away, it made it super convenient to meet up and make plans, get ready together, etc. Every morning we had breakfast in our hotel. Our directors could make sure that everyone made it up and was ready for class or whatever we were doing that day. It was also nice because we could request a different roommate for each city, so you were never stuck with someone if you didn't like them but you also got the chance to get to know other people by sharing a room with them.

What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?

It is OKAY if you don't know anyone going! It is also okay to be scared. I was terrified in general of going abroad but even more terrified that I wouldn't make any friends, but realized pretty quickly that I had nothing to be scared about. It can be uncomfortable but it was amazing pushing myself out of my comfort zone like that. Not only does this program offer so many different opportunities but one of the best things about it is how far it will push you out of your comfort zone and help you grow as a person.

Would you recommend Forum Nexus to others? Why?

I would absolutely recommend Forum-Nexus to any student that is interested in studying abroad. I have never seen a program that offers as many different opportunities like this one. Not only did we get to travel to nine different cities, but we also made amazing friends, met and spoke with different business professionals around Europe, visited countless cultural sites and overall broadened our horizons of the world. Students from any major are welcome in the program, which is unique and I genuinely have no complaints about my time with Forum-Nexus, which is why I believe that it really would be a great fit for anyone.

What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?

The biggest benefit of traveling abroad, no matter what program it is, is the world experience that you gain. Americans are very distanced from Europe and honestly the rest of the world. Unlike a lot of countries around the world, it is much harder for us to travel to another country - it takes much more effort and planning than domestic travel within the states. Because of this, most of us are pretty sheltered from other cultures. I think exposing yourself to foreign places and people gives a much deeper understanding of the world and the people that live on it.

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?

As I said before, I think it is so important to broaden our horizons and open our minds to other parts of the world. I think I have a much better understanding of how different the United States is from other cultures but also why people are the way they are that come from those cultures. Everyone has different traditions and social norms but as an American, it is easy to judge those that are different. I also think that my time abroad matured me a bit as well as increased my confidence. After navigating foreign cities alone, I've realized that I really do have the power to conquer anything I want.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel could mean a lot of different things to me. The first thing that comes to my mind is being present and enjoying every moment. It was so important for me to just take in everything that was around me - not so I could take pictures for Instagram (I did a lot of that too) but so I would have real memories and remember what it feels like to be in that moment in whatever city I was in. I also tried as hard as I could to take advantage of every opportunity I had. I had to remind myself that I may never be in this city again, I may never have the chance to do this again.