Meet Nicyah Gravely (she/her)

Program and Location:

Summer, NC State European Center in Prague; Prague, Czech Republic

Major/Minor:

Criminology with concentration in law and justice and minors in Psychology and Political Science

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I chose to study abroad because so many people from my freshman year told me its a truly amazing experience. After taking a British history class, I knew I had to visit some part of Europe no matter where. I also wanted to get out of my comfort zone and see how the experience would affect my overall confidence and social skills as well.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I like my comfort zone a lot and being in Prague pulled me right out of that. I was constantly surrounded by people who did not speak English, different social norms, and just an overall new scenery compared to Raleigh. I grew a lot and realized that I cannot grow as a person if I don’t become comfortable with the uncomfortable. In other words, I must be able to put myself in new situations to be able to adapt to various environments and people.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

My favorite part is when I visited Berlin, Germany during my birthday weekend (I turned 21!) and it was so so amazing and life changing. To walk the streets of the places we read about in textbooks was just mind blowing. We did a lot of walking but it was worth every single moment. I tried amazing foods, went to museums, saw random upcoming artists preform, and much more. I think I cried tears of joy many times while abroad, it was simply such a blessing to be able to go.

How were your classes abroad different than if you would have taken them at NC State? Did you take any field trips or do anything outside of the traditional classroom?

As far as the classes themselves, they were not too much different. My professors had lecture slides and taught like any other professor! I will say because it was a summer class, we met for about 3 hours twice a week per class so in total, I was in the classroom for 12 hours so that was something that was hard to get used to for only two classes. But I will say for my educational psychology class, we had the opportunity to teach elementary students in Prague at their schools. It was so exciting interacting with students whose first language was not English because I learned so much more about our language from their perspective as well as how they view their familiar context of communication.

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

Don’t be scared! Take the chance, take the risk, and learn something new! I am from a small town and this was the most out of world experience and literally everything was so shocking to me but in the best way possible. I highly recommend not letting your fears keep you from taking chances that would benefit your cultural competency and diverse experience as a college student.

Would you do it again?

YES!!!!