Meet Fiona Evans (she/her)

Program and Location:

Summer, Greece: Science, Education, and Extension (SEE) Inside Greek Agriculture; Thessaloniki, Greece

Major/Minor:

Microbiology major, Genetics minor

Why did you choose to study abroad?

Expanding my cultural knowledge while being able to grow educationally was my biggest motivation for studying abroad. After being raised in an area with a lack of cultural diversity and having limited opportunities to travel outside of my hometown growing up, it is now a lifelong priority of mine to learn about other cultures. Studying abroad was the perfect way to do this in an immersive way while also learning about a subject that relates to what I plan to do in my future.

What did you learn about yourself?

After studying abroad I learned that I am actually very interesting in living abroad for a longer period of time in my future, which I never considered before this experience.

What was one of your favorite parts of your program?

My favorite aspect of our program was the opportunity to visit so many cities in Greece while we were there. We spent the entire second week on a big road trip through the country and I really got to experience the culture by visiting so many different types of cities and villages while there.

Were you surprised by anything during your time abroad?

I was the most surprised by how easy it was to get around the towns that I visited without a car compared to traditional towns in the US. Most of the towns and cities were highly walkable, meaning I was able to get to everywhere I needed on foot from where I stayed. Additionally, if I did need to go somewhere any further than that, the public transportation was very easy to use and navigate. I am not used to this at home and I really loved getting to experience that!

What advice do you have to future study abroad students?

Don’t be worried about getting homesick! Studying abroad will be the best experience of your life. I was worried that a month outside of the US would be too long for me, but I ended up being so sad to come back home and would have stayed so much longer if I could.

Would you do it again?

Absolutely!