Mayra Aguilera

Mayra Aguilera is an Ambassador who studied abroad in Cork.

Briefly describe a specific cultural experience you had on your trip that made a lasting impression.

This program was the only that suited my needs. I needed a program that allowed me to not only take my CORE requirements, but also classes toward my Major and Minor.

Why did you choose the program in which you participated?

As I reflect on my study abroad experience in Cork, I remember how peaceful things are there and how people never seem to be in a hurry or stressed out over things that do not go as planned or as scheduled. In my opinion, this seems to be the case in United States. It was from this moment, that I promised myself I was going to start living my life by this idea. This realization gave me new perspective on life. I was going to stop stressing over things that were not going as they should be going.

Describe your overall study abroad experience.

My study abroad experience was wonderful. Not only did I meet some great people, but I also learned some new things about myself as well as develop a new perspective on life. Visiting other countries has also taught me to not only appreciate certain things here at home but also appreciate those things abroad that I wish our country could do or improve on.

How has the trip affected you? How are you different for having completed the experience?

Like I said before, I began trying to live my life with this idea that I don't always have to stress out about everything, especially things that are not going as planned. This definitely helped me during my travels elsewhere. Of course, we would try to plan ahead of time things that we wanted to do or see. However, if things didn't go as planned, I didn't stress out, at least not enough to have it ruin my trips. I feel that this idea has made me more adaptable to different situations.

What advice do you have for future Study Abroad Students?

Travel, travel, travel! I highly recommend that students travel both within their host country but the others around it as well. You will learned so many things about yourself and maybe even develop on new perspective on things.