I'm now officially halfway through my program! It's certainly been a wild trip so far — we're currently in Mexico City, and we'll be here for three days. Today, we went to the ancient pyramids at Teotihuacan and to the Palacio de Bellas Artes to view historically significant murals — I'm currently writing this from my hotel in the middle of Mexico City.

Hello!  

My name is Jasmine. I am a 1st gen Mexican American. Third year global studies major at the UO. I am currently in Seoul for the new geo program “K-Pop and Beyond in Seoul”. I mainly chose this program due to my interest in Korean culture and the hands-on experience of the program. In our faculty led class we have some days in the class and some out and about exploring and analyzing the city of Seoul.  

My name is Emely. I am about to go into my fourth year as a Global Studies and Spanish major. This will be the fourth year I navigate higher education without guidance from my family, as I am the first to have the opportunity to take this path. I am Mexican, I am American, and I am a woman. My identities are on my mind at home, and even more so abroad as I navigate social expectations and attempt to respectfully conform to the norm in Japan.

Hello! My name is Andrea Rivera, and I am a first-generation student at the University of Oregon. One of the biggest reasons I chose the University of Oregon was because of the opportunity to study abroad. Even though I was excited, I was also nervous because I am the first person in my family to have an experience like this. Spending two months away from my family is something I have never done before, so choosing Barcelona, Spain, felt like the right decision.