Education Abroad Ambassadors
Mysa Anderson
My name is Mysa Anderson, and I'm a junior majoring in Social Work. I studied abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain during the summer of 2025. Though I love traveling, I wanted to learn more about Spanish culture and improve my language skills. While I was there, I took Spanish classes and stayed with a wonderful host family who I now consider my second family. Alcalá is a beautiful city filled with history. There were so many small historic details throughout the town, which made exploring incredible. During my time in Spain, I also traveled in Madrid, Asturias, Burgos, and Valencia, where each city brought new adventures. I can never choose a favorite part of the trip, but one piece of advice I always give is to try as much food as you can when traveling!
Lena Barr
I am a junior studying business at BGSU. I studied abroad in May of 2024, in Salzburg, Austria. I quickly became close with the people I was sharing this experience with and made unforgettable memories with them. The faculty who led this program truly made the experience what it was. Deciding to take the leap and study abroad allowed me to see how wide my horizons are. I learned so much about a culture other than my own; experiencing that firsthand was unforgettable. I learned so many lessons that I can now bring with me through every experience I will have in the future. Coming back to BG I knew I had a whole new community that I didn’t have before studying abroad.
Sarah Baumgartner
Hello! My name is Sarah and I am a third year majoring in International Studies with a minor in Communications. I studied abroad for a month in the summer of 2024 in Montpellier, France. I have also traveled to other countries like England, Spain, Germany, and Belgium. During my time abroad this summer, I was able to meet a lot of really amazing people I still talk to today and consider some of my closest friends. Some of my favorite memories while abroad were of my friends and I traveling to nearby cities like Paris, Marseille, and Béziers on the weekends when we weren't studying. We also were able to travel with the university to nearby towns for the day. Studying abroad opened my eyes and allowed me to see new experiences and I’m excited to share these moments with others!
Grace Charles
My name is Grace Charles, and I'm a junior studying Environmental Science and Watershed Management. I studied abroad at Essex University in Colchester, England, just an hour outside London by train. I have always wanted to study abroad, inspired by my mom's experience of studying in London during her time in university. I visited 6 countries while abroad and enjoyed every minute. I loved studying in Colchester because I was an hour from London and an hour from the beach, while still allowing me to experience the English countryside. Going to Essex taught me a lot about myself, and it showed me how capable I actually am. Being pushed out of my comfort zone in the way that study abroad pushed me was the most rewarding opportunity I've ever had.
Alli Daly
My name is Alli Daly, and I am a fourth year studying Physics and Spanish. In the summer of 2024, I studied abroad in Alcàla de Henares, Spain, a town outside of Madrid. I first wanted to study abroad to enhance my Spanish skills, but I left with that and so much more. This was the greatest experience of my life so far. Between my welcoming host family, caring professors, and all the people from different cultures I got to meet along the way, it was truly an experience of a lifetime. The set up of this program really allowed myself and my peers to immerse ourselves in the culture of Spain and gain that connection and understanding. One of my favorite moments was watching Spain win in the Eurocup finals in our towns plaza with hundreds of people celebrating together. I wanted to become an ambassador to share my experiences like this and help others kickstart their own study abroad experience. I will always cherish this experience and the impact it has had on me and my perspective on life.
Rose Fedan
My name is Rose Fedan, and I’m a junior pursuing my B.S. in Physics. I completed an exchange semester in Wales during the spring of 2025; specifically, at Aberystwyth University. It was decidedly one of the most impactful experiences of my life! During my time there, I even got to see my favorite band, Level 42, at Royal Albert Hall in London with one of the closest friends I made in Wales. I keep in touch with the close friends I made during my time abroad and I plan on going on trips with them sometime in the future. As such, I’m extremely eager to encourage other people to take advantage of the opportunities we have at BGSU to study abroad. Studying in Aberystwyth has granted me educational opportunities extending even to graduate school, and overall, was such a fulfilling and growth-oriented journey.
Mckenzie Hall
Hello, my name is Mckenzie Hall! I’m a fourth-year student double majoring in Graphic Design and Marketing. During the summer of 2023, I studied at ISI-Florence in Florence, Italy, where I learned about the city’s rich art and history and traveled across different regions of Italy. In the summer of 2024, I studied at Hong Kong Baptist University in Hong Kong, China. There, I got to try a variety of cuisines, including Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and many more. I was also able to participate in trips organized by the university to help us immerse ourselves in the language and culture. In the summer of 2025, I studied in Salzburg, Austria as part of the BGSU in Salzburg program. As part of the MUCT course, I was able to travel with the program to multiple locations in both Austria and Germany. These international adventures have boosted my confidence, independence, and appreciation for diverse cultures. I’m excited to continue traveling and discovering new places!
Samantha Hickman
My name is Sami and I'm a third year studying marketing and international business! I studied global entrepreneurship for two weeks in Barcelona, Spain in 2024. I spent most of my time traveling the city and learning about Spanish culture. More recently, I performed as a twirler with the Falcon Marching Band in the Dublin, Ireland St. Patrick's Parade and traveled the country for a week. Both countries are significantly different, yet so rich in history and architecture that I would 100% go back again. My favorite thing about both was the trying all kinds of new food and experiencing the local culture firsthand. Studying abroad has made a huge impact on my life, and I suggest everyone to try and take at least one international trip. The memories I hold will follow me the rest of my life and I hope to create more as I take adventures!
Meghan Kekish
Hi, my name is Meghan Kekish, and I’m a junior majoring in Adolescent to Young Adult Integrated Language Arts. I studied abroad in Malawi, Africa, for a few weeks in the summer of 2025. It was a life-changing experience; I got the chance to teach in three different types of schools and environments. One of my favorite memories from my time abroad was went we started dancing with all of the students after teaching all day. The students had so much fun, they welcomed us to celebrate with them and played some music and got us involved in their dances. During my time around, I was able to see students with such an amazing passion for learning. It was amazing to see how we could get one classroom of 150 kids to wanted to learn from us. During my time abroad, I have strengthened my teaching skills and gained more confidence in classroom management. My time abroad is so special to me, and I want to share that with everyone!
Bryn Lubin
Hi! My name is Bryn Lubin and I'm a fourth-year majoring in statistics with a Spanish minor. I studied Spanish throughout high school and picked it up again in my second year of college. My friend and I were in class listening to a study abroad presentation one day and we both knew we wanted to do it, so we signed up right away! We went to Alcalá de Henares for the summer. It was the best experience I could've had; everything was so wonderful and fulfilling. I would absolutely love to go back for a longer amount of time and I'm a home body so that's really saying something!! My experience immediately had an impact on my Spanish ability, I became so confident over a short amount of time and learned more then I could've imagined. I was quite nervous going into Spain but everyone who helps makes the process so easy and comforting. Studying abroad is one of the best decisions I've ever made, plus I've made memories that I will never forget.
Keirstin Ludwig
Hello! My name is Keirstin Ludwig. I am a fourth year studying History and Classical Civilization with a German minor. I have always wanted to study abroad, and I finally got the opportunity in summer 2024 when I went on the Salzburg program. Through going on the program, I was able to practice my language skills and immerse myself in the Austrian culture. I learned a lot about myself as well and gained even more independence through solo travel. The Salzburg program greatly improved my confidence, and I learned so much I could never learn in a classroom. In the future I hope to do another study abroad program, potentially in the UK or Greece. The best experience for me in my program was the days I spent solo traveling the city of Salzburg and seeing so many ancient historical sites. It was truly spectacular to see these old churches and castles in person, all hundreds of years older than our entire nation. I sincerely hope that people will consider going abroad as it will certainly provide you with a new perspective on the world, life, and most importantly yourself!
Rachel Miller
¡Hola, Chiques! My name is Rachel, and I am a fifth year studying Studio Art, Spanish, and Community Arts Education! I have been studying Spanish off and on since preschool and was always encouraged to go abroad, so it only made sense for me to eventually end up in Spain! I had the absolute pleasure of participating in our Alcalá de Henares program during both the Summer 2023 semester and the Spring 2025 semester. Alcalá truly is one of the most precious places out there, and I couldn’t be more grateful for my time there. I have learned so much more about myself and my capabilities, gained the invaluable experience that immersion allows both in language acquisition and cultural awareness, and have met the most amazing people that I genuinely consider my second family. My experiences have also had a huge impact on my trajectory here at BGSU, giving me just the right push to start my Master’s in Spanish early and prepare to return to Spain once again for a longer term! Studying abroad is by far the best thing that could have happened to me, and I can’t wait to share my experiences with you all!
Reagan Novey
My name is Reagan Novey and I’m a fourth-year majoring in Media Production and Studies and minoring in Spanish. I studied abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid during my spring semester of my second year. It was easily one of the best experiences of my life and it truly changed my outlook on how I view things and how I want to live it. Being in Spain was a dream of mine since middle school and finally achieving it was such a surreal experience, and I want to encourage others to do the same!! I was able to travel a lot while I was there, I went all over Spain, Italy, and France. One of my best memories I have from bring there is just the people I met while I was there, and going to Noah Kahan in Paris. I have a lot of plans to continue going back because I am so in love with the lifestyle there and I miss all the friends I made there so obviously I have to go back.
Shivani Palleria
My name is Shivani Pallerla and I'm a third-year majoring in Computer Science and minoring in English. I studied abroad last year in Salzburg, Austria during the spring semester. It was an incredible experience! While there, I traveled to 4 other countries and dozens of new cities. One of my favorite memories I made while abroad is traveling to Sweden. I spontaneously decided to visit my friend who was studying there after finding a cheap flight and was able to explore Stockholm for three days. I encourage everyone to study abroad if they have chance, as you will learn how to navigate new situations, learn to trust yourself more, expand your worldview, and look upon your home country and home city with a new perspective. It is my goal to one day return to Salzburg and even work abroad after graduation!
Mallori Pollock
My name is Mallori Pollock and I am a junior pursing a dual specialization degree in Sales & Service Marketing and International Business! I studied abroad during the spring 2025 semester in Milan, Italy at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Although I enjoyed working with students from around the world and exploring Milan, traveling was the best part of the semester. I was very fortunate to have met a great group of people and together we traveled to 14 different countries. My favorite memory of the semester was going up in a hot air balloon and having authentic African meals in Morocco! My biggest piece of advice would be to push out of your comfort zone and go abroad if you have been thinking about it because it is a life changing experience in the best way possible!
Brooke Snyder
Hey! My name is Brooke and I’m a third-year student studying Middle Childhood Education here at BGSU. I was lucky enough to have studied abroad at Keele University in England during my Spring 2025 semester. During my semester, I had the privilege of traveling to 25 other countries! My favorite memory from my time abroad is going on a chocolate tour in Geneva, Switzerland with my friend. Not only did this experience open my eyes to other cultures and educational experiences but also helped me grow as a person. I highly recommend studying abroad and plan to do my graduate school abroad when the time comes.
Claudia Stanton
Hi everyone! My name is Claudia Stanton, and I am a senior studying Finance! This past spring (2025) semester, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Amsterdam at Vrije Universiteit. Half of my family is Dutch, and when I was a kid, I actually had a host sister from Holland live with my family! While in Amsterdam, I reunited with family and even visited the house where my grandmother grew up, right along the canals! Over the course of my four months abroad, I had the chance to travel to 10 different countries- including a solo trip to Greece that ended up being one of my favorite trips thanks to some wonderful hostel friends! Going abroad is truly one of the most unique experiences you can have. It opens your eyes to new cultures, languages, and people that you may have otherwise never met! I cannot recommend it enough to other students, and I'm so excited to share more about my experience with others!
Layne Woodruff
Layne is a Computer Science major and German Minor who studied abroad in Salzburg for one year, living both in Ingolstadt, Germany and Salzburg, Austria. He plans to move back after graduation!
Updated: 10/08/2025 10:28AM