As someone who has never even been out of the country before, my first program, being six weeks long and thousands of miles away, was quite the shift. I was so nervous that there was something I was forgetting to do or that I would mess up some crucial part of my travel plans, but the study abroad department as well as the mentors on my program did an amazing job at making me feel calm and prepared. This gave me the confidence to make some travel plans of my own.
On a couple of our long weekends during the program, we had freedom to go wherever we wanted. A couple of my new friends and I planned trips to Amsterdam and even to Greece! These trips hold some of my most cherished memories from my study abroad. We booked the Airbnb, plane tickets, and made out own sightseeing itineraries, and I have never felt so “adult” and proud of myself.
I came into this experience of studying abroad not knowing what to expect - if I should be nervous, excited, scared. My experience was better and more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. What I truly never expected however were the friendships I made. My group consisted of only 11 people, and we almost instantly clicked. I was nervous going on a program in which I didn’t know 
Writing this testimonial gives me the opportunity to reflect on my experience and doing so makes me emotional. I cannot fully put into words what this program meant to me. And without the scholarships I received, I would never have been able to go. I feel like the luckiest person in the world, which sounds like an exaggeration, but it is not.
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