As a first generation college student from a low income family, I never thought I would get the opportunity to travel abroad let alone learn more about my dream career. Traveling so far was something I didn't think I had the chance to do, but with scholarships I was able to afford to travel and to pursue my dreams. Some of the things that I will never forget about Greece is the beauty of both the scenery and the kindness of the people we met along the way.

My experience abroad gave me the opportunity to encounter my major and education in a different context. Being in Greece and getting the chance to work at an archaeological dig site gave me a better understanding of my own goals for my future. I am a Biology and Anthropology double major, with the intent on studying Bioarchaeology. This study abroad experience gave me the chance to experience my field of interest first hand, I had the opportunity to do work on a dig site and I also met archaeologists that were more than willing to talk about their careers and give me advice on my own path. At MSU I work as a student research assistant in an archaeology lab on campus, but having the chance to work on a dig site and travel across Greece to visit other sites and learn their history and the archaeological methods used to study the past totally immersed me into the field.

Being abroad gave me perspective on how different cultures can be in different places in the world. This study abroad experience was the first time I have left the state of Michigan and I was amazed at how different the view and society was. I was able to meet amazing people, both in my group and the people we were able to meet and I believe this experience has made me a better and more well rounded person.

One of the things that stood out to me the most in Greece was how kind and understanding people were. Before traveling abroad I was afraid that my lack of skills with Greek would be a setback when communicating with those that we came across, but the people my group met in Greece were more than happy to help us learn the language. The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece study abroad program to Greece helped me learn to better communicate with people that speak a different language than I do. While in Greece most people I encountered were more than happy to correct my pronunciation and assist me in learning and understanding Greek.

The most surprising thing about being in Greece was the sheer amount of history everywhere we went. No matter where we went, whether it was a beach or to climb up a mountain, there were remains of pots and history. I have never seen that much history in one place before, I saw large structures that lasted through time and I saw efforts to preserve history. My professor brought us to museums, to historical sites, to churches, to monasteries, to mountains, and many more places that I found absolutely amazing. The view in Greece was jaw dropping, the bright blue sky and the huge expanse of ocean framed by mountains, I'll never be able to forget it. I would have never been able to have this amazing experience without the help of scholarship donors, thank you!

Name: Kelly Sullivan
Status: Sophomore
Majors: Biology and Anthropology
Hometown: Alger, Michigan
Program: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece