CEA Study Abroad

My experience was one for the books. I am a Native American, small-town girl who had her first experience overseas at the age of 20. I had the opportunity of being placed with three other girls in a safe, close to the city, neighborhood, which was also close to our studies. I got the chance to study at a private university, where I focused on continuing my educational journey in law. At CEA, we also had the chance to learn about the country's history and got to visit many local towns. Overall, the community was helpful, encouraging, and left us with many positive experiences. Witnessing the differences in other cultures made me appreciate my own in a different way, and that is why I wish to help others experience their own personal journey of studying abroad.

I would def recommend CEA internships to people that are wanting to learn more about the structure of their future professions. I had such a wonderful time there and have so much knowledge to take into other areas of life. I actually did a program that was not on the initial list available and so there were no other interns with me. However, I found this to be quite helpful considering that I was happy to get lots of focus on questions I had. I also heard good reviews of internships with other students.

I did not want to Study Abroad. I am a person that likes to feel comfortable. Living in another country for 3 months, with a new language, and all new people to say that was uncomfortable would be an understatement. However, I was not alone in these feelings. Everyone came with an open mind, CEA was extremely helpful and available in a time of need, and my program got very close very quickly. I learned that it's totally normal to have those feelings of discomfort and you're not alone. I ended up having the most incredible time!

I studied abroad in Florence in December of 2022 for a week and a half. This was a trip of a lifetime and I would not trade it for the world. Through this trip I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people from my university that I didn't already know and truly immerse myself into the culture. We went to so many places amazing places like Lucca, Pisa, and San Geminiano plus beautiful countryside wineries and olive groves. One of my favorite parts of the trip was trying all of the delicious food that Tuscany and Florence are known for. We even got to participate in a cooking class to make one of the traditional dishes, tortelli. If I had the chance I would go back and do it all over again and hopefully can in a few years!

I started learning French at the advice of one of my favorite middle school special education teachers. After a year or so, my mom went on a business trip to Paris, I decided I wanted to eventually go to Paris to sharpen my French. It was so much fun studying at the Institut Catholique and exploring the city. Paris is so easy to navigate and there are so many neat things to see and do! I stayed with a family on Blvd Blanqui but on the last week of my trip, they left me to go on vacation and I never saw them again. I do hope they're doing well. I would like to come back to Paris at some point either next year or the year after and maybe reconnect with them if possible.