1. What is your current year and academic concentration in college?
I am currently a junior double major in business administration and international studies in the honors program at my school.

2. Have you traveled abroad before? If so, where and for what purpose?
I have travelled abroad before to Thailand and Singapore as well as been on two cruises to the Caribbean ( although those do not really count in my eyes as abroad travel). I did a study abroad summer program in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I spent six weeks. Here I took two classes that included a thai cooking class, a hill tribe field study course, and a religion and culture course. While there I travelled to Bangkok as well as did two week end trips where I hiked through the mountains and stayed with hill tribe families. We were given a 5-day break during the program where I travelled to Singapore with one of my friends.

3. What are you most looking forward to during your study abroad program?
I am most excited to be able to experience a brand new culture that will challenge me and broaden my world-view. I cannot wait to immerse myself in the French lifestyle and learn more about a culture completely different from my own as well as completely different from my experience this past summer.

4. Have you studied abroad before? If so, where and what did you study?
I spent this past summer in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I studied religion and culture where my professor brought in multiple natives to talk about their religious beliefs and experience in Thai culture and we also spent many days outside of the classroom visiting temples and mosques to better understand the culture. I also took a class about the hill tribes of Thailand where we did an overnight with a family and were given tours of their villages and introduced to their everyday lifestyle. Finally, I took a cooking class that was a week long. Here, we learned how to cook a new thai dish every night followed by some sort of native thai fruit, drink and snack. We learned about the art of noodle making, what parts of Thailand ingredients were from, and thai customs for eating.

5. Why did you choose the ESC Strasbourg program?
I chose the ESC program because it allowed me to combine both of my interests of business and international studies. This program also supplemented the in class learning with multiple group trips that allows us to be able to immerse in our surrounding environment and learn more about European society.

6. What are some of your interests and hobbies?
I love to play any kind of sport, adventure, and eat really great food. I love to be entertained at all times and I am constantly looking for a new adventure whether that be just walking around downtown Strasbourg, or traveling to a different country. I play volleyball at my home institution, so sports wise, I am biased toward volleyball, but I love to watch/play any type of sport.

7. Do you speak any foreign languages?
I took a year of French last year, but that is the extent of my foreign language.

8. What do you expect to gain from your semester in Strasbourg?
I expect to gain a better understanding of French culture, as well as a sense of independence. It has always been my dream to do a semester abroad in Europe, but beyond that I am lost in what my future plans are. I hope to gain a better understanding of both myself and what path I want to take in the future. My focus in international studies is European politics and would love to learn as much as I can while I am over there to help me in the future.