Take Some Time and Forget the Map

On day one of orientation here in London, our program put on the screen a list of several apps to help make sure we knew where we were going the next few days. There was a frantic rush as everyone grabbed their pen or pencil to scribble down the names, myself included. I was nervous …

Big Hope 2: Stories That Move, and “All You Need is Love”

    As a newbie to the UK, I was filled with so much excitement when we were en route to land. When we arrived, I heard the accents of our lovely student greeters and immediately fell in love. There’s something about experiencing a new culture that makes me feel so alive. Being in an …

Big Hope 2: Global Citizenship

The Big Hope 2 has been one of the best experiences of my life so far! I loved coming together with passionate and fun-loving people from all over the world to discuss global issues in the city of Liverpool. I felt so alive, motivated, and inspired during the whole week and my heart was fuller …

Big Hope 2: Women in Leadership

The Women In Leadership discussion panel was impassioned, thought provoking, multi-layered, and empowering. I do not recall how many times I found myself saying “wow”, while nodding my head in agreement and clapping. The women on the panel were incredibly intelligent, experienced, relatable, and funny. I left the discussion feeling ready to take on the …

Make Your OWN Change in This World

This trip was one that will live in my memory for a long time, if not forever. This trip gave me new friends, new experiences, but most importantly new insights on the world and myself. A trip like this isn’t offered every day, and I was very aware of that as I was going to …

London Calling!

This past weekend my friends and I took a weekend trip to London! I booked an all-day tour to Windsor Castle, Roman Baths, and Stonehenge, which was definitely my favorite part of this study abroad experience so far! Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge history fan, so I was incredibly stoked for this …

Big Hope 2: A Lovely Day in Liverpool

After an action-packed last day of the conference where we were able to showcase the projects and discussion that we were having in our learning tracks, spend some last meaningful moments with new friends, and have the most incredible dance party I have ever been a part of, we all got up and gathered to …

Big Hope 2: A Whole New Perspective

As each student pulled themselves away from their beds and into the dining hall this morning they were greeted by an array of tired smiles. It has become clear from body language and conversations that most delegates are filled with the quiet contentment of a job well done. This has been a difficult week. A …

Big Hope 2: Little Things Matter

When I was told to write a blog post about the Big Hope 2 Conference I decided to wait longer. Why? Because I thought maybe there is going to be something very huge that is going to change my experience and that I will never forget — something similar to meeting the President of your …

Big Hope 2: Friday – Education Session

We had multiple speakers come in on Friday to give us some fruit for thought, like Phil Jennings the General secretary of the UNI Global union. He quoted Nelson Mandela by saying “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” His talk was followed by a discussion on the topic …