Past Peer Ambassadors

Our office has been lucky to have some amazing undergraduate Peer Ambassadors. Check them out here and learn how study abroad impacted their lives!

Madeleine Loney

Madeleine Loney

  1. Major -- Psychology
  2. Minor -- Middle East / Islamic Studies
  3. Graduation Year -- 2015
  4. When / Where did you study abroad? -- Meknes, Morocco; Academic Year 2013 - 2014 and Ibri, Oman; Summer 2015 with the State Department for CLS
  5. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- August 2014 - May 2015
  6. What are you doing now? -- Working in the tech sector in Denver, Colorado.
  7. How did study abroad shape you? -- Impacted how I view the US, made me more critically analyze our relations with the Middle East and North African region. Study abroad also pushed me to grow as a person, to be comfortable being uncomfortable and not knowing the answer, and being willing to adapt and learn.
  8. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Push out beyond the other students in your program and meet students local to the city you’re in. Develop a routine and get used to a new normal, whether that’s going to the coffee shop or library or park to understand the rhythm of a new place. Spend time sitting and observing without judgment. And learn the language.

Paige Brewer

Haley Massad

Haley Massad

  1. Major -- Spanish
  2. Minor -- Middle East / Islamic Studies
  3. Graduation Year -- 2016
  4. When / Where did you study abroad? -- Amman, Jordan; Summer 2014 and Valparaiso, Chile; Spring 2015
  5. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- My whole senior year! August 2015 - May 2016.
  6. What are you doing now? -- I'm a flight attendant for United Airlines and have been with the company since May 2016.
  7. How did study abroad shape you? -- I literally use skills I learned abroad every single day of my job. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't talk about my experiences abroad with one of my passengers or coworkers. I also often draw on experiences I had abroad to help me relate to cultures and people I have on board. Not to mention, on board I directly use language skills (Spanish/Arabic) that studying abroad helped cultivate! I know confidently that my study abroad experience helped me land this job. I travel most of the month as a flight attendant, and during my interview with United, I know they saw my travel experience as a bonus! Studying abroad helped expand my horizons, made me a more confident and independent person, and made me more aware of being a respectful, kind, and quality representative of the United States wherever I go.
  8. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Think outside the box! Where is somewhere you might not ever have the opportunity to go otherwise? I first studied abroad in Jordan, and I learned more in 6 weeks there than some semester long classes. My next study abroad was Chile - off the beaten pass also because I had already been to Europe and the Middle East, and I wanted to see a new continent. So I challenge someone considering studying abroad to get off the beaten path and challenge yourself to go to a new country/continent.

Jennifer Owen

Blake Schreiner

Brianna Berry

Brianna Berry

  1. Major -- Music and Psychology
  2. Minor -- Spanish
  3. Graduation Year -- December 2018
  4. When / Where did you study abroad? -- San Sebastian, Spain; Spring 2016 and Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Summer 2018
  5. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- Between August 2016 and December 2018!
  6. What are you doing now? -- I am coming back to U of L (Go Cards!) for my MA in Political Science and will be working as a graduate assistant at the Study Abroad Office! I’m very excited!
  7. How did study abroad shape you? --Studying abroad helped me in so many ways! The obvious one is giving me the opportunity to learn a second language, Spanish. However, I also gained a sense of independence and improved my resiliency. Studying abroad and living for an extended period of time with host families opened my eyes to how much people are alike, even from very different cultures!
  8. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Find a program that you can live with a host family! Not only will you get to eat delicious food like the locals, but your host family will teach you things about their city and culture that you won’t learn anywhere else!

Colleen Kozacheck

Daleigh Kranz

Thomas Lawrence

Thomas Lawrence

  1. Major -- French and Spanish
  2. Graduation Year -- 2018
  3. When / Where did you study abroad? -- Panama City, Panama; Summer 2015 and Montpellier, France;
    Academic Year 2015 - 2016
  4. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- Between August 2017 and May 2018!
  5. What are you doing now? -- I just accepted a position working as an Immigration Case Specialist!
  6. How did study abroad shape you? --It enhanced my language skills to a proficient level, which was necessary for my current position! It also helped me develop great intercultural communication skills.
  7. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Try to study abroad for as long as you can! Do a whole semester or a year! It may feel like a sacrifice but the connections you make and the experience you have will be worth it! Also, if you are learning the language of the country you go to, try to commit to the language and make local friends! It will make your language skills stronger!

Becca O'Brien

Becca O'Brien

  1. Major -- Psychology
  2. Minor -- Spanish
  3. Graduation Year -- December 2018
  4. When / Where did you study abroad? -- Sevilla, Spain; Spring 2018
  5. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- August 2018 - December 2018
  6. What are you doing now? -- I am working at a coffee shop and getting ready to leave to teach English in Valencia, Spain for the next year! I plan to return to graduate school when I get back.
  7. How did study abroad shape you? -- Study abroad helped shape me into the person I am today in so many different ways. It made me much more independent and adventurous. Before study abroad, I was always scared to do things alone and by the end of the trip I was taking solo trips to Ireland not knowing a soul! It made me realize that the world has so much to offer and it is important to see as much as it as we can. Studying in Spain also helped me improve my Spanish which looks great when applying for jobs!
  8. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Just go. Sign up and all the other worries you may have about going abroad will work themselves out. You most likely will never get another experience like this so take advantage of it while you can. See the world, meet people you'd never normally talk to and enjoy what the world has to offer. To be able to travel while taking classes is a dream so just do it, you won't ever regret it! I also recommend living with a host family because it truly gives you an authentic experience. I still talk to my host family!

Chicharlah Muldrow

Chicharlah Muldrow

  1. Major -- Psychology
  2. Minor-- Chinese and Philosophy
  3. Graduation Year -- 2019
  4. When / Where did you study abroad? -- Chengdu, China; Spring and Fall 2017 and Seoul, South Korea; Summer 2018
  5. When were you a Peer Ambassador? -- January 2019 - May 2019
  6. What are you doing now? -- Right now, I’m working a few part-time jobs to prepare for my trip in August. I’m also re-vamping my resume and researching what to do next.
  7. How did study abroad shape you?-- Sounds cliché but, studying abroad has been the best decision of my life. I’ve met so many people from around the U.S. and around the world. It opened my eyes to see what the world has to offer and made me realize that there’s more out there. Because I was exposed to a different part of the world, I’ve changed. I came back a different, better person. Studying abroad made me realize how influential the US was. I don’t think Americans realize how much power the U.S. has around the world, whether it be good or bad. Studying abroad showed me how privileged the U.S. is and how we, as Americans, take that for granted. I think more Americans need to go abroad to understand how influential their culture can be and see what people around the world really think of Americans. Media can only provide a filtered, biased views, but to really see what the world is like, GO ABROAD!! Go for a week, a month or YEARS! Just do it, you won’t regret it.
  8. Give a piece of advice for students considering study abroad. -- Prepare to be challenged. Studying or living abroad presents a WHOLE new field of challenges different than the 'real-world.' There will be moments where you’ll be out of your comfort-zone and it’s in these moments where you discover a little bit about yourself.