I will never forget the UVA in Ghent program and remember my global internship fondly. Being abroad working in a program that researches first-generation students and the different efforts made by schools and universities [to support them] brought me closer to my roots because I am a first-generation student. However, I never understood how that changed my perspective at college.

The decision to study and work abroad in Ireland this summer was not an easy one… However, I am so grateful that I took a chance and embarked on this journey. Everything was a completely new experience: living and working in a foreign country, the cultural differences, and new friendships. These are experiences that I will cherish forever and would not have been possible anywhere else.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to work for a non-profit based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Partaking in a global internship program abroad was a transformative experience… Within the two months living and working abroad, I feel that I have grown into my character personally and professionally. I thought the adjustment to the city of Buenos Aires would be overwhelming.

The internship with HAF was an illuminating experience which helped me to better understand global development and the conditions people face outside of the United States.

More than several months later, returned home from Paris, I am still reflecting on my experience and finding new things to be grateful for. Connections I could not have made anywhere else, conversations in which I would never have been brave enough to partake, and the ability to express sentiments for which my American-classroom French would have made but a sorry apology are only a few of the things that came out of those eight weeks.