Major: Agronomy

Year: Senior

Where I studied: Valencia, Spain

How did you hear about the program? 

A friend that was on the ISU Soil Judging Team with me told me about it.

Why did you decide to study abroad?

I wanted to improve my Spanish and take more Spanish classes.

What year did you do it?

Six weeks in the summer of 2010

What was the biggest thing you learned from the experience?

Coming from a farm background and living where the population is 300 people in my town, the biggest thing I learned was about myself and I learned how much I love my rural home and the farm life. But with this experience I also learned about living in a big city (population approximately 815,000 in the city — about 16 times the size of Ames, and the urban area population 1,175,000) and learning public transportation, like using the metro, the bus, the tram, the train and high-speed trains all in Spanish.

What advice would you give to students interested in studying abroad?

If you have an interest and the desire to learn about another country and culture, do it. Apply for as many scholarships as you can; it helps out a lot.

What was your favorite memory about your trip?

Spending the day with friends to explore Valencia’s old part of the city and climbing a really tall tower to see out across the city.