Keya Ahrestani

Education Abroad Program: 

• Puebla, Mexico: Spanish Language and Mexican Culture (Summer 2022)  

• Cape Town, South Africa: Women's Gender and Reproductive Studies (Maymester 2024)

Major: Psychology Neuroscience (B.S.)  

Minors: Spanish, Child Maltreatment & Advocacy Studies, International Studies, Health Policy & Administration, and Women's & Gender Studies

About Keya: Keya is a senior majoring in Psychology following a Neuroscience track. She did a 6-week Penn State Education Abroad program in Puebla, Mexico during the summer of 2022 and a Maymester during the summer of 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa - two majorly formative experiences! Both programs allowed her to make amazing friends, grow as a person, and advance her studies in both Spanish and Women's and Gender Studies. Studying abroad has inspired Keya to hopefully one day work and live abroad as well as fueled her interests in travel and cultural exploration. Outside of the classroom and Education Abroad office, you can find her playing tennis with her coworkers at the tennis center on campus and studying with some Starbucks at the library! Through her role as a peer adviser, she hopes to be able to inspire other Penn State students to take advantage of the amazing education abroad experiences available, emphasize the importance of gaining a worldly perspective, and be a friend to any Penn State students seeking advice on studying abroad.   

Advice to Prospective Education Abroad Students: One piece of advice I would share with prospective education abroad students is to not be afraid to figure things out on your own!! Penn State’s Education Abroad programs do a wonderful job of organizing events and creating a balanced, structured study abroad experience, but an element of that balance includes giving their students free time. Use this unplanned time to explore your study abroad location, it’s planned this way for a reason! Immerse yourself in the culture: go study in a local cafe instead of your housing location, go watch a movie in the native language, eat in a different restaurant every day, and don’t be afraid to do things on your own! I found that personally exploring a little something new every day transformed my study abroad experience and that exploration was the root of the personal growth I gained while studying abroad. 

To get in touch with Keya about her experience abroad, please email EducationAbroad@psu.edu and address your email to her!