Carly Richardson

Carly is majoring in Spanish and Child and Family Studies. She is working towards a certificate in Gerontology, and she also volunteers as a Spanish Teacher with FLES on campus. Carly studied abroad through our embedded affiliate provider's ISA program in Cusco, Peru. She lived with a host family and experienced cultural explorations and incredible hiking trips outside of her weekly class schedule.

What skills do you feel you've gained from going on a global program?

I have gained the confidence of exploring something new and unknown to me, pushing through all the emotional roadblocks, exciting fears, and cultural shocks. I have strengthened my patience with myself and with others, deepened my cultural awareness and acceptance, and emerged a stronger, more independent woman. Professionally speaking, my Spanish-speaking ability has flourished into a more confident and expressive manner.

What is one of your favorite memories from your global program?

One of my fondest memories is the first hike I went on. This wasn't one planned with my program, but instead, something me and my friends had decided to do one day. It was me, the other student in my program, and two Peruvian friends we had met. We went on a rather unknown hike in the beautiful curves of the mountains of Cusco. Here, I got to experience the open air, observe a couple of farms with families tending to the land, and the impact that altitude has on hiking. Man, was it hard. I was out of breath so fast, even though it wasn't the hardest hike I had done. But we kept on walking, talking about little small talk things and laughing at little jokes. We saw other hikers and waved hello until we finally reached the peak. It was a small hill at the top of the mountain with a flat area where we dined on our little picnic of local fruits. It was such a joy eating these foods I had never seen before while being memorized by the views around me. It was such a terrific first experience of the wonders of our world and will be something I always look back on fondly.

What advice would you give a student who is interested in a global program?

Acknowledge the fears and concerns you may have, because they are very real and valid. But understand that this world is huge and beautiful. You deserve to explore it and should have the experience of pushing your boundaries. It is an incredible experience to travel abroad because you discover just how strong you are while also building a better understanding of the diversity of our planet.