Keya Ahrestani's Spotlight
Keya Ahrestani
(she/her/hers)
About Keya
Keya Ahrestani is a third-year student at Penn State University Park majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish, Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies, and Health Policy and Administration. During the summer 2022 term, she studied abroad through our Puebla, Mexico: Spanish Language and Mexican Culture program.
Keya now serves as one of our Education Abroad Peer Advisers! To connect with Keya, please visit her peer adviser webpage!
Continue reading to learn more about why Keya chose her program, how it will aid her professional development, and the highlights of her experience abroad in her own words!
Keya Ahrestani
Photo Keya captured of a sculpture in the center of Mexico City, May 2022
Photo Keya captured of the center street in Mexico City, Mexico in June 2022
Photo Keya captured of a stand of alebrijes being sold at the Benito Juarez Market in Oaxaca Mexico, June 2022
Keya's Education Abroad Experience
"I was looking to minor in Spanish, and I always felt that my speaking skills lacked the most proficiency so I knew learning the language in a Spanish-speaking country would be a first-rate experience I couldn't miss out on. My other deal breaker was that I wanted to stay with a host family; I knew that living amongst the language would further increase my knowledge of the language, and I wanted to have that unique experience. Lastly, I think Latin America can be seen as less desirable by college students than Europe for example, but I wanted the chance to explore the deep, warm culture that I know countries like Mexico boast.
One of my favorite experiences abroad was living with my host family. Having such a genuinely loving support system away from home made studying abroad that much easier. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend trips we made away from Puebla. We got to see how diverse Mexico is and how much variety the country has to offer. Lastly, taking a theatre class with a local professor challenged me both linguistically but also generally as it pushed me out of my comfort zone.
I am very interested in working in a Spanish-speaking country or more generally abroad in the future. I believe that this experience has not only prepared me for that, but also encouraged me to continue on that path.
The most important lesson I took away from my education abroad experience is that it is okay to be pushed out of your comfort zone and to sometimes push yourself, as well. If I had not forced myself to do some things that I had reservations about or said yes to some things I wouldn't normally have been comfortable with, I would have left my trip with half the memories. In moderation, it is perfectly fine and even important to push yourself out of your comfort zone because you don't know what lies ahead. Why not find out?"