Meet Shelby Peeden (she/her)

Program and Location:

Summer, Cyprus: Archaeological Field School; Polis, Cyprus

Major/Minor:

History and Anthropology Majors; English and Forensic Science Minors

Why did you choose to study abroad?

I wanted to study abroad during my time at college because it would get me out of my comfort zone. I had never been out of the country before, and this seemed like the perfect time to travel. My study abroad ended up being perfect for me and the career path I wanted to pursue.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I love traveling and archaeology! This really helped me decide on my plans post-graduation. I spoke to a lot of people in the field and learned a lot about the various paths I could take to get into archaeology as a career.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

One of my favorite parts of my program was the people I met. I still keep in touch with several of the people from the study abroad, and I have so many great memories and stories about everyone. Another one of my favorite parts was all the cats. Cyprus has a big population of stray cats, so there were cats pretty much everywhere I went. Some of them were really friendly!

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

Take lots of photos! Especially of yourself, even if you’re not big on selfies. I definitely wish I had taken more photos with myself in them, but I’m glad that I took so many pictures of everywhere I went.

Were you surprised by anything during your time abroad?

I was surprised at how friendly people were to our group. My study abroad was in a fairly small city, so all the locals pretty much recognized us as that one group of archaeology students. We’d get stopped pretty frequently by people asking how our work was going and how long we’d be around. A few of the local business owners actually started to recognize us by name, so that was pretty cool.

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?

We took field trips about once a week to various museums and archaeological sites across Cyprus, and we did all our classes outside. It was really helpful to be able to actually look around the sites and at various artifacts in museums instead of relying on pictures.

In what ways did your identity have an impact on your experience abroad?

I’m a first generation college student, so getting to study abroad was a massive opportunity for me. None of my immediate family has ever traveled abroad, outside of military deployments, so I was really out of my comfort zone and I had no idea what to expect. I definitely think knowing this was maybe a once in a lifetime trip made me appreciate it more.

Is there any advice you would give to other students who share your identity?

Try to apply, even if you think you won’t get it, and apply for all the scholarships you can! I honestly didn’t think I would be able to afford to study abroad, but I received a few different scholarships that covered most of my trip. Keep an open mind, even if traveling so far away seems daunting!

Would you do it again?

Yes! Absolutely!