IES Abroad European Union: Politics, Law & Economics

Learning German has become a passion for me since entering college, so my primary reason for going abroad was to gain practical knowledge of German and increase my fluency. I was also driven to visit by my passion for travel and ability to experience new places and cultures.

I was inspired to go abroad at a very young age, and told my mom that I wanted to live in every country in the world at about age six. More realistically, I always saw going abroad as part of my path in college, and began looking for programs that would combine my desire to travel and my academic interests. Friends who had spent even a couple of weeks studying abroad recommended I go, and I was definitely drawn to the unique life experience I believe venturing outside of your home culture and land can offer.

I've been fortunate enough to have been exposed to the wonders of traveling since I was in elementary school, when I took my first trip to Europe. Since then I have been overseas on five more occasions, with each one giving me a better understanding of world culture and my own self-identity. The longest of those trips was ten days, so I was excited to see how impactful four months would be.