40 days, 575 nautical miles, unforgetable memories.

McKenna Mendoza Start Date: Feb 21, 2018 - End Date: Aug 20, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Tortola, British Virgin Islands
  • Grenada
  • Grenadines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Saint Lucia
  • Martinique
  • Dominica
  • Les Saints, Grand-Champ, France
  • Guadeloupe
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Saint Barthélemy
  • Saint Martin

My Travel Story

by: McKenna Mendoza Start Date: Feb 21, 2018 - End Date: Aug 20, 2018
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
Being able to study abroad has been a dream of mine since I could remember. Another dream of mine; studying the ocean. If you know me, you know that I believe I am a mermaid out of water. After my grandparents so fortunately took our family on vacation to Hawaii, I got to have a little taste of what it would be like to work with aquatic life. I fell in love almost instantly. Marine biology and oceanography are a secret passion of mine that you probably didn’t know. Being from Nebraska, we don’t get much education or opportunities to explore the ocean. Taking this trip will not only open doors for me in a future career, but this experience will teach me so many things. I am going to learn so much about the ocean and life in it as well as all the cultures and life on the islands we stop at. I will become scuba certified which will be a requirement for any marine biology career I pursuer, I will learn how to sail and get certified for that. We will take hikes through volcanic rainforests, bike tour, explore sunken ships and study the sea life that have inhabited them. We also are going to be doing a lot for the local communities of the islands we travel. We will collect data for local marine parks, help build new structures and schools, we even teach local students a little bit about marine biology and why protecting their environment is critical. Regardless, taking the time to give back and connect on a deeper level with the Caribbean community. Not every day does someone get this opportunity. This will be forever life changing and an educational experience I could never forget.

  • Tortola, British Virgin Islands
  • Grenada
  • Grenadines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Saint Lucia
  • Martinique
  • Dominica
  • Les Saints, Grand-Champ, France
  • Guadeloupe
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Saint Barthélemy
  • Saint Martin