"I think [studying] abroad gives you the opportunity to experience your own identities in different ways, which can be both a good thing and also very challenging. You take your identities with you, but now the cultural context is different."

"From our visits to four institutions in Ghana as well as working alongside our partners at the University of Cape Coast, I learned what it means to mold systems that are unique to any given cultural context. I learned that it is important to have multiple perspectives and be able to see through different lenses in order to truly be a global practitioner."

"Go somewhere. Go anywhere. I am a firm believer that people should take any chance to stretch their mind and expand their worldview during our college careers and our lives in general . When I went to study abroad in a foreign country, I quickly shifted out of my comfortable life in College Park, for the first time, and took on the role of an active visitor, learner, and traveler."

"When you arrive, put yourself in situations where it will be easy to meet people. I was lucky to end up living in a hall that has specific meal times, so I was able to meet people there. If you live in a flat or apartment, go to club meetings or events with other exchange students."

"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."

"Everyone's study abroad experience is different, even if you go to the same location, so don't worry about what others are doing. Just enjoy your unique abroad experience and do what makes you happy."

"I would tell anyone, regardless of your identity, that studying abroad is one of the most special opportunities you should have. Never let your identity deter you from going to another country because there is always a place for you where you want to go."

"I am a first generation African American college student that has lived in a single parent household my entire life. The best advice I would give any individual coming from any one of those backgrounds is to fully embrace themselves in the experience and try not to focus on things you cannot control or things going on back home."

"One of the best examples of becoming comfortable with unfamiliarity is living with a host family. Within one week I grew very comfortable with my host family just by conversing with them in my somewhat broken Spanish and diving right into the experience of full immersion."

"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."