Mariana Pardo, Alumni Ambassador

How did you engage with the local community while abroad?
One of the ways I would engage with the local community was by going to local farmers markets and stores where I interacted with locals. Living in Prague 2 (not the tourist area) while abroad put me out of my comfort zone and communicated with others in a completely different language. I navigated myself well in these situations because I'd try as much as possible to express myself to people with the little Czech I learned.

What's one story or important aspect you always tell people about your time abroad?
An important thing to do while studying abroad is to travel as much as you can. In Europe it's very easy to travel, so if your study abroad program is in Europe take advantage of that. I really enjoyed exploring new cities and countries that I never thought I'd visit.