Checking in With Melanie Espinal (‘14)

Melanie is currently a senior at Southern Connecticut State University where she is preparing for a career in the field of journalism/communications/public relations. According to Melanie, “I knew that if I didn’t study abroad before my graduation next May I would feel like my degree was incomplete,” so she decided to spend her Spring semester of junior year at John Moores University in Liverpool, England. When she wasn’t taking classes with students from the US, England, and places as diverse as Italy and Saudi Arabia, Melanie also found time to visit 11 other European countries (some of which she tackled on her own).

We asked Melanie how her experience as a Wandering Scholar prepared her for this experience, and she had this to say: “Being a Wandering Scholar prepared me in ways that I can only understand now as an adult...I think plainly being a Wandering Scholar gave me the confidence to travel, allowing me to immerse myself in this new place without a constant fear of what I might seem like to people. Anywhere I go now I walk like a local, even if I can't read the signs and don't know which street to turn on to.”

As for whether she had any advice to her fellow wanderers, Melanie offered this bit of wisdom: “Don't go into a new country thinking you know what you're gonna get. It's more fun if you don't and a lot more genuine. And travel light always. I brought a carry-on for 17 days abroad in Europe, but a whole suitcase and carry-on to Guatemala for two weeks. Trust me, you don't need it all. The golden rule is definitely quality trumps quantity. And most importantly keep a journal and take photos. It's great to look back at what you were processing when you were there.”