A Life-Changing Experience

Study abroad is presented to students as a way to experience another culture by immersing yourself in a new country; to improve your language abilities by being forced to practice with locals; to challenge yourself to go outside of your comfort zone. My time in Buenos Aires with API was all of that and more. The only regret I have from college is that I didn't spend an entire year abroad. This program, along with my resident director Carmen, had such a positive impact on me that I lived abroad two additional times after graduating and chose a career path in the study abroad so that I could assist students and having a life-changing experience like I did. The semester taught me more than classic Argentine literature and the history of Eva Perón, it taught me about learning from the stories and lives of locals around the city. It taught me to be a global citizen and to fight for diversity and inclusion because equality and understanding other perspectives is of the gravest importance. It has directly influenced my career goal: to find ways to make study abroad accessible to every student, to help them learn about the world, and learn about themselves.