I knew that to truly understand how people, systems, and cultures worked, I would have to leave what I knew and engage in the world around me. When presented with the opportunity, I made the choice to be a part of the World Scholars Program and study abroad my first year of college. I spent my first semester learning and exploring my new home, Athens, Greece. 

During the spring semester of my third year in college, I decided to further challenge myself and my abilities by studying in Auckland, New Zealand. There, I was immersed in the Māori culture and learned the political and relational system of the nation-state and its surroundings. While abroad, I continued my research in disaster anthropology in relation to COVID-19.