Junior Student Studying Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

Rebecca Audette Start Date: May 22, 2023 - End Date: Sep 21, 2023
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Netherlands

My Travel Story

by: Rebecca Audette Start Date: May 22, 2023 - End Date: Sep 21, 2023
Hello! My name is Rebecca Audette and I am currently a junior at California Lutheran University on track to graduate a semester early (December 2023). I am a Psychology major and Sociology minor and I have a goal of becoming a therapist. I work on campus at Academic Services and help students with their schedule and courses. I am also in the honors society for Psychology and have an overall GPA of 4.0. I am a very hard working student, due to the fact I am a first generation student and want to show my appreciation for being able to go to college to pursue my dream career. As a first generation student I have had to learn a lot of things on my own and along the way. It was hard to not compare myself to others who had parents who knew the process and were then able to give their students advice about the college experience. My parents and I both had to learn the preparation process along the way together, it felt like diving into the deep end and not knowing what was underneath the surface. It was a very anxious time when I first applied, I wasn’t sure if I was ready or if I would succeed. Now being a senior, I can see that this challenge prepared me for bigger future events. Studying abroad is something I have always wanted to dive into, but there were so many obstacles that made it difficult to commit the last few years. Now that I have my last chance to indulge in studying abroad, I am pushing myself to take this opportunity. It is always scary to dive into the unknown and take risks, but you are always rewarded with growth and more knowledge. I want to study abroad and take advantage of the privilege I had to go to college because many people didn’t get that opportunity. My parents have sacrificed so much for me to be able to have the best education and future they could give me. Studying abroad at IAU will help me grow individually and it will prove that even with added challenges, I can succeed when I push myself to do my best. I know that this challenge has made me a stronger, more resilient student and I am going to use it to my advantage when I study abroad this summer through IAU. I am looking forward to contributing to this community by engaging in all it has to offer. I believe studying abroad is not only a once in a lifetime experience, but also it is an experience where I will gain much knowledge about other experiences and cultures. In the realm of psychology and sociology there are people from all different backgrounds and I believe that by exposing yourself to other lifestyles, it makes it easier to support people who may have different experiences than yourself. My freshman year of college was taken away from me due to Covid-19 and I have worked very hard the last 2 years in order to make this experience happen. I have been trying to find ways to fund this experience so that I can expand my education outside of the U.S. and learn in a different environment. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time and I want it to be my reality. I am aiming to take a psychology course and a sociology course in Spain and learn from someone who has a very different history than me. I can't wait to bring back what I have learned into the real world once I graduate with my B.S. in Psychology and possibly take a step further and obtain my masters, so that I have a better opportunity to reach more individuals.
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Netherlands