What are you most looking forward to?

I have never been able to pick just one place I want to travel to and learn about — that’s why I chose a study abroad program like Semester at Sea. I never was a student who had a favorite destination and a desire to stay in one place for an entire semester — I wanted to see it all. I still want to see it all.

At this point in our voyage, I definitely have sites that I am extremely excited to see like the Great Wall of China, Kruger National Park, the Terracotta Soldiers, the Sahara Desert and so much more. But, most of the areas I am traveling to I know little about.

Mystery and adventure is something that draws me. I’m excited to see different ways of life. I grew up in a farming community and just last year I took my first trip out of the country to London and Scotland. I don’t really know what kind of experiences are out there, waiting for me, but that makes it all the more wonderful to me. This is my time to be an adventurer, an explorer and a global learner — that is why Semester at Sea is so great for me.

I’ve also never sailed on a ship before and while this ship college community is also very foreign to me, I know meeting and being with these people on board will teach me great lessons and help me mature in ways I’ve never thought possible. So many of the people I’ve met here already have traveled all over the world and have life experiences that are so different from mine. It is fascinating to hear their stories and life perspectives. This voyage is already causing me to think in ways I’ve never thought possible. Semester at Sea is all about discovering the great unknown — whether that is finding a global understanding or something beyond that.

I’m here to learn, to see what I have never seen, to do what I have never done and to grow in ways that will make me a better individual. I’m out of the typical college campus and learning with my heart open and body immersed. This is the kind of education that matters most.

I want to be a better person from this experience. I want to bring home with me great knowledge that I can share with my family and friends.