The best thing about living in London was how easy it was to travel anywhere from here. Every single weekend was an adventure. It was hard to be so far from my friends and family, and especially my boyfriend, whom I miss a lot. However, it's been one of the best experiences of my life to share all of these great experiences with so many new friends. You'll find your people anywhere you go, and now I've made new friends that I know will be people I text and visit for the rest of my life.
What advice would you give to anyone else who wants to study abroad?
You don't have to be rich to see the world. I grew up in a double-wide trailer, and I had free or reduced lunch for my entire time in school. I always wanted to study abroad, but I didn't think I would be able to afford it until I got to college and saw how many scholarships there are for people like me. The FAFSA is a program by the U.S. government that gives money to anyone in financial need to help pay for school, and every college has scholarships to which you can apply to get money for school-specific programs.
The biggest scholarship that helped me, though, was the Gilman scholarship. This program gives up to $5,000 to students in financial need to help them pay for anything they need to study abroad: tuition, plane tickets, food, housing, anything. I wouldn't have been able to afford my plane tickets here or any of my food if I hadn't won the Gilman. The best part about the Gilman is that it's specifically designed for students who want to change the world in some way. I want to do that by becoming a theatre teacher and teaching kids to tell their stories, just as I've learned to tell mine.
Is this the end of your traveling?
