Category Stories: First Generation
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Finding Balance: Studying Abroad as a Pre-Law Undergrad
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For everyone, the decision to study abroad stems from several different factors. You might decide to discover more about yourself, find opportunities to learn new cultures/languages, or make new friends from different places—sometimes all at the same time! As a first-generation Latina student, my decision to study abroad included all these things. Staying grounded Once abroad, I found myself approaching every day with…
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Packing for Success with Study Abroad
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Two days before I was bound to leave for Australia, I sat in my room with the contents of my entire closet around me. For the first time in years, I was incredibly uncertain about what was ahead and incredibly uncertain about what to pack to prepare for those uncertainties. Over the years, I’ve become…
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I Belong Here: A First-Generation Experience Abroad
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When I first got to Galway, I was so nervous. I kept asking myself, can I really do this? I come from a family of Ethiopian immigrants. As a first-generation student, studying abroad felt impossible. Traveling wasn’t a regular thing for us growing up. Every summer, my friends would come back with stories of all…
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My Study Abroad Journey in Mexico Doesn’t End Here
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The best way I can describe the discomfort of ending my study abroad experience is to compare it to finishing a good TV show. Going in, I felt that everything I wanted to accomplish would have to be done within the confines of this short time, within a season. My experience included characters, people I…
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Unpacking the Gifts of Study Abroad in Ireland
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As I pack up my dorm room and take one last walk through Galway, I’m reflecting on more than just the items I’m cramming into my suitcase. This journey has left me with something intangible that will outlast souvenirs and photos. I thought the hardest part would be saying goodbye to Ireland, but in truth,…
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Finding Diversity and Belonging Through Study Abroad in Buenos Aires
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Before coming to Argentina, I had a lot of anxiety. I was excited, of course, but I couldn’t ignore the nervousness bubbling underneath. As someone who identifies as both Black and Latina, I carried the weight of not knowing how I’d be perceived here. Would I be stared at? Would I face microaggressions? Would I…
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From Wallflower to Wanderer: How I Learned to Embrace Adventure
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Before studying abroad, I used to think adventure was meant for other people—bold, fearless, extroverted people. I admired it from a distance, but stepping into the unknown felt overwhelming. I was the kind of person who preferred a quiet evening with a book over a night out and who felt a twinge of anxiety at…
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Familia: How Moving 2,700 Miles Away from Home Brought Me Closer to My Family
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Marina, ¿por qué viniste a México? ¿Es porque tu familia es de aquí? I smile and nod warmly at my host mom’s question. Yes, I chose to come to Mexico because my family is from here. This answer seemed self-explanatory, the same way it’s simple to say that I’m Mexican when asked what my ethnicity…
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Home Is Where I Build It: Finding Belonging in Prague
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Prague was never supposed to be more than a destination on my map. Instead, it became a sanctuary where I discovered what home truly means. As a biracial, first-generation college student who has moved between a small town in Germany and a military base in the U.S., I’ve always understood home as something more fluid…
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Study Abroad and Assimilation: Worth the Effort
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“I haven’t gone there,” my host-mother declared in Spanish one night early in my study abroad experience. We were eating dinner together, and I was sharing my plans to go to a restaurant the next day with a few of my friends that I had made while studying in Sevilla, Spain. “It’s a place for…
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