Leaving the US to go study abroad in Japan was exhilarating because it was the first time I was alone and without any relatives nearby.

"As I traveled the world, I began to realize how overwhelmingly little I actually knew about the rest of the world and all of this incoming information was helping to provide me with added perspective and has thusly made me more well-rounded."

"The world may be becoming more interconnected, but it is still a very big place. I met all kinds of people from all walks of life all over the world and now I can say that I have close friends in five continents, including other civil engineers."

Don't be afraid to branch out. At Maryland, you know where people similar to yourself tend to hang out so many people surround themselves with like-minded individuals. That absolutely wasn't the case for me in Hong Kong so I ended up spending time with people I had little to nothing in common with other than we liked to explore and have fun.

"I also had the incredible opportunity to go to Canberra for the 100 years Armistice remembrance day of World War 1. I was honored to be able to attend a ceremony where all the high up government officials and service members gathered at the Australian War Memorial."

"I learned that I'm more confident and independent than I knew - even in a foreign language. My interpersonal and Spanish skills improved so much in my time in Madrid, and I met some incredible professors and peers from Italy, Brazil, Croatia, France, and even Korea."