As API’s summer programs wrap up and our fall programs get underway, we’re welcoming a brand new group of amazing bloggers & vloggers! From Bilbao to Thimphu, we’re very excited to introduce you to this great group of students. Be on the lookout for blog posts, vlogs, Instagram takeovers and more throughout the fall 2019 semester!
Hagar Sivan, Skidmore College student studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina
My name is Hagar and I am an International Affairs and Anthropology double major at Skidmore College, NY! I was born in Israel, moved to Zimbabwe with my family at the age of 12, then moved to the U.S. for college when I was 18. Having lived and studied in different countries and continents from a young age, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to study and explore another country and continent! I will be studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this coming fall!
I have been very active in my college community; I am a coxswain on Skidmore’s Crew team and a member of a number of clubs on campus, such as the International Student Union and Hillel. When I’m not studying or attending club meetings and sports practices, I love traveling. I look forward to getting involved in my new community in Buenos Aires and traveling around Argentina!
I am excited to have the opportunity to practice my Spanish and get to know another culture. Although I know it will be a challenge, I look forward to taking classes in Spanish with Argentinian students and sharing my journey through my blog.
Matias Chaoul, Babson College student studying abroad in Barcelona
My name is Matías Chaoul and I am a junior at Babson College concentrating in Global Business Management and Economics. My main areas of interest include entrepreneurship, law, and management. Apart from academics I am passionate about traveling, soccer, and SCUBA diving.
I took a gap year before starting college and traveled around the world to places like southeast Asia, Costa Rica, and Argentina. During this time I engaged in community service projects, learned to further appreciate socio-economic diversity, and gained a deeper understanding of the daily life of the people in these countries. Next fall at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona I hope to continue developing many of these skills and engage in Spanish culture as much as possible. Blogging/vlogging seems like a great platform and stepping stone to do so.
Jordan Countiss, York College student studying abroad in London
Hello, my name is Jordan Countiss and my home institution is York College of Pennsylvania. Through API I will be studying abroad at the University of Westminster in London, where I will be taking communication and marketing modules.
This will be my first time traveling to Europe and I am so excited to learn and experience a different piece of the world. This will be the first of many trips abroad I will take in my lifetime. I love to travel and experience different cultures. I also enjoy taking aesthetically pleasing videos and pictures of these moments to capture them forever. I’m excited to capture my experience abroad through API’s Student Blogger Program!
Alaina Plauche, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student studying abroad in Thimphu
My name is Alaina Plauche and I am a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying public policy, city planning, and sustainability. This fall semester, I will be studying abroad in Thimphu, Bhutan with API! I absolutely love to travel. Some of my favorite global adventures include interning at a non-profit school in Jinja, Uganda, hiking the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, traveling to Peru and Argentina during high school, visiting Istanbul, Turkey with my parents, and many more!
After this semester, I will only have 2 more continents to visit (Australia and Antarctica). Besides traveling, I really love to read, run, play sports with friends, try new foods, listen to live music, hike, camp, or do just about anything that involves nature. I am really passionate about protecting the environment, so Bhutan will be the perfect place for me to study this semester as it is the only net carbon negative country in the entire world and their constitution protects 60% of their natural forests for all of time. I am thrilled to begin my adventure in the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
Olivia Modarelli, taking a gap semester in Paris
My name is Olivia Modarelli and I will be studying in Paris for the next 4 months. I am currently taking a gap year during which I plan to explore and pursue all of my passions. I love learning in a traditional school-like setting, traveling and finding myself on new adventures, and performing and sharing my experiences with the world through writing. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for me in the beautiful city of Paris these next few months.
Christopher Davis, University of Arkansas at Little Rock student studying abroad in Valparaiso
Hello, my name is Christopher, and I’m a fourth year senior studying Computer Science (my major) and Spanish (my minor) at the university of Arkansas at Little Rock. I have been extremely excited to take this opportunity to take courses in my discipline, and in Spanish no less, to improve my ability and continue tracking with my major.
In my free time, I love programming, drawing, dancing, reading, and writing. Learning languages is also a really big interest of mine. I am also taking up learning to speak and read Latin and Portuguese from friends of mine.
Brittany McPherson, Regis College student studying abroad in Madrid
I am so excited to go abroad and the opportunity to blog and vlog while in Madrid; it’s an amazing opportunity I had to grab!
A little bit about myself, I am 21 years from Boston, MA. I am studying psychology in my passion with helping young kids who are sick in hospitals. I was inspired to go into this specific field because when I was 13 years old I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. This illness caused me to miss a whole year a school and be in the hospital for lengthy period of times, sometimes 3 whole months.
During the six months of being diagnosed I had to get my large intestine removed. After spending a year in the hospital and having doctors tell me “you can’t do this” I decide that from that moment on, once I fully recovered I wouldn’t waste another day. I also wanted to give hope to others that are sick, letting them know it does get better and you can live your life. Since then I have done much traveling and adventurous things. I am not afraid to put myself out there and meet new people and see new things. I enjoy putting myself outside of my comfort zone; this year I moved to a different state to work for the summer knowing no one and now I have met some of my best friends!
Nicole Alston, Fordham University student studying abroad in Florence
Ciao! My name is Nicole & I am studying abroad in Florence, Italy this Fall semester. I am from Chicago & go to school in New York City at Fordham University’s Manhattan campus where I study Marketing Communications & Fashion Studies.
Some of my ALL-TIME favorite things include traveling, exploring new neighborhoods/restaurants & taking interesting classes/making new friends. I am so looking forward to studying abroad with API & look forward to all the adventures that await me in Firenze!
Sophia Ma, University of Vermont student studying abroad in Salamanca
Hello there! My name is Sophia Ma and I’m a senior at the University of Vermont with double majors in Global Studies and Spanish. I’ll be studying at the University of Salamanca for Fall semester, 2019 and this will be my second time studying abroad in Spain (Yes I loved it so much and I’m coming back!).
I’m passionate about traveling, learning foreign languages, meeting new people, exploring different cultures, and appreciating this world through my own lens. Every time I study abroad, my life changes for the better. I cannot wait to go back to Spain and share my journey with everybody!! Let’s have some fun!
Aljeanna Burrell, University of North Texas student studying abroad in Paris
My name is Aljeanna and I’m excited to be apart of the Student Blogger Program. I am a sophomore at the University of North Texas and study Speech Language Pathology. Once I’ve graduated, I plan on being a worldwide travel Speech language pathologist!
I have a keen interest in learning languages and studying different cultures. As of now, I am already fluent in American Sign Language, and during the fall 2019 semester I will be studying French in Paris to reach fluency in my third language. It is one of my personal goals to travel and explore as much of the world as I can and explore its many languages and cultures.
Aside from my passion of travel, I am also a musician. In my spare time, I write and compose my own music. I believe that music is my window of expression and it’s also a universal language. I look forward to hearing different types of music while I’m abroad as well and possibly performing at coffee shops.
Claire Ketzler, University of Alaska Fairbanks student studying abroad in Bilbao
I’m Claire Ketzler and attend University of Alaska, Fairbanks and this upcoming academic year I will study abroad in Bilbao, Spain. I am going to be attending University of Basque Country with the Studio Arts program. I am an art major with a Spanish minor and want to become a professional illustrator. I like to volunteer, create art, and start too many projects.
Karina Feliciano, University of North Texas student studying abroad in Lisbon
My name is Karina Feliciano and I am SO excited to blog about my time abroad! I have never been to Europe, I’ve only visited the Caribbean where my family is from, so I can’t wait to be immersed in the Portuguese culture. Spanish is my first language and my parents swear that I’ll pick up Portuguese pretty easily, but I already see myself just mixing Spanish words with my sad attempts of speaking Portuguese! Hopefully, I’ll come back to the states trilingual! I am looking forward to being a part of the blogger program and I can’t wait to learn more about and be coached over how to be a great blogger.
Amanda Amerault, Stonehill College student studying abroad in Barcelona
I am a rising Junior at Stonehill College studying International Business with a minor in Spanish. I have been dancing since I was 3 years old and I continue to dance on Stonehill’s campus with the Stoneworks Dance Company.
I love traveling with all my heart and I have had to opportunity to travel to some pretty cool places including Romania and Costa Rica. I look forward to participating in the program and sharing my adventures with lots of people!
Ericka Garrison, Middle Tennessee State University student interning abroad in Barcelona
Ericka Garrison is a Public Relations student at Middle Tennessee State University. This fall, she’s interning abroad with API in Barcelona, Spain. She’s been placed in an internship at a hotel where she’ll be helping with social media and marketing.
Regina Silveira, University of New Hampshire student studying abroad in Rome
My name is Regina Silveira, and I am 20 years old. I am from Waltham, MA, which is about 20 minutes out of Boston. I attend the University of New Hampshire and am working towards a history major with social studies teaching certification. I aspire to someday be a high school United States history teacher, and eventually move onto secondary administration. I am ecstatic for my semester in Rome and all of the exciting opportunities that will arise!
Jennyfer Jimenez, American University student studying abroad in Grenoble
Hello! My name is Jennyfer Jimenez and I am from Washington DC. I currently attend American University where I am majoring in International Relations and French Studies. This Fall 2019 semester I will be studying abroad with API in Grenoble, France!
During my time in France, I will strive towards improving my French language skills, in addition to sharing my experience abroad through photography! By providing images from my time abroad, I hope to demonstrate my personal experiences while also influencing prospective students to study abroad with API and in Grenoble!
Ashtyn Harrison, Texas State University student studying abroad in London
My name is Ashtyn Harrison. I am studying abroad at London College of Fashion this fall, and I am excited to be part of the API Student Blogger/Vlogger Program.
I have an eye for visually appealing scenes and love to document and inspire others through the moments I experience. I am stoked to embark on this journey and I know my content could reveal an unconscious desire to travel for many viewers. I was an Amazon Prime Student Ambassador the past two semesters and I am currently a Boohoo Ambassador, which both stemmed from my creative style of content. I have made multiple videos but only two are posted on Youtube, my Youtube handle and Instagram is @ashtynharrison.
Elizabeth Shugert, University of North Texas student studying abroad in Florence
My name is Elizabeth. When I’m not on an adventure or searching for one, I’m often found with my nose in a book or a pen and notebook in my hands. Nothing fascinates me more than a good story.
