Traveling internationally since the age of six, Karyn Planett designed her studies and career to continue on the journey. After three years at Long Beach State College, she sailed aboard Chapman University's Semester-At-Sea ship for two semesters (8 months) completing her first of many trips around the world. Karyn also attended the International College of Copenhagen for their summer student exchange program to the former USSR and 5 other Eastern Block countries, going behind the "Iron Curtain" as an American in 1969.

From Rio to Milan, Nicolas Perin Peres has followed his dreams. A student of Bocconi University, he's currently studying at SMU in Dallas, Texas. You can find him online at https://pagesofajourney.wordpress.com/

Michelle Belair is a wanderer, social worker, and writer who aims to share the beauty of the world - the nature that creates it and the individuals that inhabit it. With an interest in travel, self-development, and vegan living, she believes that the best way to live is by fueling your heart and energy with all the things that bring you joy and passion. To read more from Michelle, follow her at www.whirlwind-travel.com. She studied abroad in Barbados.

Originating from Paradise, Newfoundland, Morgan Chafe is completing her Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) with a concentration in the field of Marketing and Communications at Memorial University. She is a lover of fashion, politics, travel and food while living on a student budget. Some of her favourite things include: coffee, Netflix, lipstick and peonies. Follow her on twitter and instagram @MorganChafe.

Studying abroad not only gives you the chance to travel and gain new experiences, but also the opportunity to build a new skill-set that can help your career in the future.

Charlotte Chen was born in New York. Growing up, she embraced both Chinese and American culture through her living and learning experiences in both countries. She is a rising senior studying computer science at the University of Pittsburgh. Currently she is interning as a programmer in Washington, DC. Charlotte is passionate about arts and exploring international culture. She recently studied abroad in France.

Shevan Abdulla is from Kirkuk, Iraq. He has been in the U.S. for almost a year now. He studies Political Science, and has just graduated from University of Pittsburgh in April. He plans to go back to Iraq in August. 

What motivated your decision to come to the U.S.?

Jonelle Krise is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh working towards her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Urban Studies with a certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She studied abroad in May-June 2014 in Greece! She participated in a travel-based program through Pitt, which focused on sociology, economics, tourism, and history. Jonelle visited and lived in several cities while in Greece, including Thessaloniki, Nafplio, Delphi, Meteora, Olympia, Athens, and Pigadia (Karpathos).

Traveling has always been a passion of Laura Victorelli’s, a senior political science major at the University of Pittsburgh. She credits that traveling has guided many aspects of her life. Originally born in Roanoke, Virginia but moved to Pittsburgh when she was four years old, Laura has always known that she wanted to learn about the world around her as much as possible. She’s traveled to southern Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, and Jordan. In addition, she studied abroad in Cyprus, Greece.

My name is Emily Johnson and I've been living abroad for the past ten years. I started my journey in Poland where I studied for my M.A. in Eastern and Central European Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Being passionate about culture and the study of societies, after the completion of my degree I moved south, to Istanbul, Turkey, where I still reside and teach at university.