I would have settled for four years at any university if it meant that I was able to study abroad.
Yes, I had other requirements like the school must have a women’s basketball team, a strong business program and alumni network.
But travel was a primary requirement for enrollment.
Six semesters into my college career, I was no longer at my previous university, nor a business major and was no longer able to play collegiate basketball. But my desire to travel never felt stronger.
Yet as a junior transfer student to Cabrini, I thought that I was going to miss out on the opportunity to travel outside of the country. The sand in my college hour glass was slowly running out and finances were stretched leaving visible marks in my personal and families wallets.
Spring semester 2014 I was required to complete my first engagements of the common good requirement as a Cavalier. My ECG was to study fair trade and the effects that it had on the communities within Costa Rica.
At the start of the class everyone enrolled had already marked their calendars to travel to Costa Rica over spring break earlier in the year, with many of them had already made deposits.
Managing a few different jobs, while taking a full course load I was able to save (with the help of my parents) the necessary funds in order to go on my first cross-cultural experience.
After a four hour flight to the beautiful capital city of San Jose with 12 other Cabrini students, in a country whose language I hadn’t studied since sophomore year, I finally made it.
I couldn’t wait to drown myself in all that Costa Rica had to offer; the fresh fruits, language, and their native brew of golden bottled Imperial.
10 days of travel included boat rides across man-made lakes, guided tours on the Arenal volcano and zip lining just to name a few. Most importantly the group was able to visit fair trade cooperatives that were investing their resources into the community to better future generations.
The travel didn’t stop there.
After arriving back to the United States, Dr. Erin McLaughlin who also ran the ‘fair trade’ trip asked me to apply for the summer school in Derry, Ireland. Opportunity kept knocking like kids on mischief night, quickly and unannounced. Once again, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to commit to it.
With a steep cost in comparison to the $2,500 I had to raise in order to go to Costa Rica. A total of $10,000 was going to be needed for this trip. It had a huge opportunity to study with Irish historian and writer Eamonn O’ Ciardha and internship with political party Sinn Fein.
When the will to do something exceeds the restrictions in your life the more committed you become to achieve it all.
So once again I tapped into my dream team network to raise the money that I needed.
The Institutional Advancement Department at Cabrini coordinated me with the perfect scholarship: The Buzzallino International Experience Award. This award is funded by Cabrini alumna and Board of Trustees member Joan Buzzallino.
The rest was history.
This girl was heading to Eire, the Gaelic word for Ireland.
The moral of the story is that the less time you have to do something is the most opportune time to do everything.
If not for those experiences of global travel I would not have my thirst for international business as it relates to communication or an adrenaline to conquer the world.
Click each photo to see more about my adventures to both Costa Rica and Ireland.
Great article Amarra