Hello, friends! Thank you for visiting my study abroad fundraising page. I am so excited to share the next adventure in my education with you!

I am currently in the middle of my junior year at the University of North Georgia. I am majoring in International Affairs (IA) with a concentration in Eastern European Studies. I am also currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA, though my upcoming Russian courses may soon challenge that. My major is part of the Political Science department and differentiates itself by offering students the opportunity to consider implications of political issues, institutions, and processes on a global scale. International Affairs offers students like me a wonderful mixture of geography, politics, and history in the area of our choosing. On that note, I have some exciting news to share: I will soon be attending American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) in Blageovgrad, Bulgaria! My semster abroad will begin in January as I start the first official semster of my senior year. I am so eager to begin studying Eastern European affairs while I am actually in Eastern Europe! Additionally, AUBG has an outstanding Political Science department that has a history of alumni who went on to attend graduate schools like Harvard University here in the U.S. or Oxford University in the U.K. The distinguished Political Science department, in conjunction with the university's SMART campaign, offers significant opportunities both professionally and academically. This opportunity will, in many ways, shape my career path as I decide whether to pursue a job in the public sector or the private sector domestically or abroad. The courses that l take at AUBG and my time spent abroad will help me earn credit towards graduation, build connections within the academic community in Eastern Europe, and provide me an opportunity to explore international internship opportunities with professionals in my field.

I truly cannot believe that I am on the receiving end of this opportunity. I have been dreaming of traveling abroad since I picked up my first book about the royalty of Europe in elementary school. Originally, my heart was set on studying in either England or Ireland. Both countries are spectacular in their own right and offer significant history. However, I knew that if I was going to go to Europe, I wanted my trip to be different from one anyone else might take. I decided to silence the part of me begging to see the Emerald Isle and Jane Austen's Derbyshire in favor of exploring places once fought over by empires. Things sort of fell into place as I discovered American University in Bulgaria and realized that Bulgaria, a small country in the Balkan Mountains, was the perfect home away from home. AUBG offers classes in English, American-style housing, a temperate climate, and (best of all) help for students planning excursions off-campus. AUBG is located about an hour away from Thessaloniki, Greece and the rest of the locations I have listed above are only a train or bus away! I am confident that this opportunity has been placed into my life for a reason, and I could not be more excited to be in a place where exploration and education intersect.

Embarking on this journey will, in many ways, represent new doors opening in my life. I cannot wait to see how I grow during my five months in Bulgaria. This experience - my first time being out of the country - will place the facts from all of the history books I have read and classes I have taken into perspective, expand my worldview and develop my cultural awareness. I am looking forward to my first steps into my professional career field as I plan to continue my journey abroad with an international internship right after my time in Bulgaria ends. I expect to make so many new friends, colleagues, and mentors during my trip, and I look forward to finding where I am supposed to be in this world. 

I am so very blessed to have been given this opportunity to study in Blagoevgrad, and I cannot wait to see how I grow professionally and individually during my time in Eastern Europe. While I am overjoyed to be preparing for this next step in my journey, I can't do it alone. If you would consider encouraging me in this experience, whether that means praying for me (and my mother, as she copes with sending her baby to Bulgaria) or supporting me financially, I would be so grateful! 
THANK YOU in advance for your support!

If you would like more information about American University in Bulgaria, visit: https://www.aubg.edu