My STEP Signature Project was a semester studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria through the American Institute of Foreign Study. I lived and went to class in Salzburg for the entirety of the Autumn 2018 semester.
This Signature Project completely changed my life. I always knew that I wanted to study abroad in college, and I worked hard for my first two years at Ohio State to make that dream a reality. Once I landed, it was clear that I had made the right choice. Being abroad taught me so much about myself, about how to be a better traveler, about how to think and live independently, and how to be a respectful resident in someone else’s country. Being abroad helped me to expand my German language skills, as German is my minor here at Ohio State. It taught me how to make friends with anyone, even people you think you have nothing in common with. Most importantly, being abroad taught me that even though we’re all different, we are all essentially the same.
Living in the heart of Salzburg was amazing, because it allowed me to interact with locals all the time. Also, choosing to go on a program with AIFS instead of an Ohio State program really forced me to step out of my comfort zone and to force myself to make friends, since I was the only student from OSU attending the program. The style of the program allowed us to travel on weekends if we liked, and I managed to make it to seven other countries besides Austria during my time abroad, all of which ranged extremely in their cultures and allowed me to see so many different places and people.
I think this development of myself matters because it wholeheartedly made me a better, broader, and more understanding person. To know that there is an entire world outside of the place you call home is something you can’t truly understand until you go out and see it for yourself. I can now say that I have friends not only across America, but some even halfway across the world too. I think this transformation provided me with skills that will be essential for my transition into adulthood following graduation, like how to think on my feet in stressful situations, and how to live independently from the comforts that I have always been used to. This development relates to my academic and professional goals because experience abroad is always a nice aspect to have on a resume, and it gave me the leadership skills to know that I can do things completely on my own.
