Esme Chavez-Jimenez
“I realized that I am more adventurous than what I had perceived myself to be.”
“As an International Studies major, it is crucial to have international experience—it’s the essence of the major. Studying abroad allows you to learn more about yourself than you can ever imagine. It gives you a world-view perspective.”
Where did your study abroad journey begin?
“My study abroad experience began the summer of 2022 when Dr. Shad shared with me the possibility of studying abroad short term in Cuba, known as the Cuba Experience—a program run by Dr. Lampman and Dr. Schweitzer. Despite its brief duration of about two weeks, it marked the beginning of the many international experiences I would have at Washington College. The next year, 2023, I decided to study abroad at Al Akhawayn in Ifrane, Morocco as this would allow me to take courses for my Near Eastern studies minor and pick up some Arabic as well.
In the summer of that same year, I was also able to coordinate an internship in Aceh, Indonesia bringing three other students as well. Just when I thought that my study abroad experiences were coming to an end at Washington College, I was able to join the Model United Nations team to compete in Taiwan for the legal committee.”
What were the biggest takeaways from your experience?
“Studying abroad became an outlet for me not to become too comfortable with my environment and journey out to the unknown. I realized that I am more adventurous than what I had perceived myself to be. These experiences led me to leave my comfort zone and grow at an academic, professional, and personal level.”
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Not really—Perhaps because as a Mexican-American I navigate through these two different cultures daily and had to do code-switching almost daily growing up.
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Definitely, I became close to my roommate Meryem, who made this process of adapting much easier and enjoyable. The international groups of students also became close that we would travel together around Morocco and in Spain.
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DO it! You will never regret studying abroad, you’ll only regret not going.
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Growth-inducing.
