What is your hometown?
Norwalk, CT
What is your major(s)/minor(s)?
Business Administration with focuses in Entrepreneurship and Marketing / Minors in Economics and Sports Studies
At this point in your life, what is important/meaningful to you?
At this point in my life, being close to the people who I love who also understand me and support me is the most important things. I also value baseball as my time playing narrows down, family, and taking advantage of opportunities such as traveling to New Zealand, Italy, and Prague to explore new places and meet new people as I move into a new full time career post grad.
What most intrigues and excites you about the Aotearoa/New Zealand study abroad?
What intrigues and excites me the most about our trip to New Zealand is the vast countryside, breathtaking bodies of water, and beautiful landscapes that it has to offer. I’m so excited to capture and experience their amazing people and land as we grow closer to their values and traditions.
What is the most meaningful idea you’ve discovered or learned about Aotearoa/New Zealand so far?
I think the pōwhiri is the most interesting thing we have had the chance to learn about and begin prepping for. The tradition holds a lot of value and is a truly beautiful way to welcome and to be welcomed into a new space. I can’t wait to experience this when we get to New Zealand and meet the Māori people as we enter the Marae.
For me, the Aotearoa/New Zealand abroad is an opportunity to … grow spiritually in a space that is meant to be connected with. I want to make connections and memories I will hold onto for a lifetime. I want to look back and think of how much I learned from the Māori people and their culture that I can take with me and implement in my own experience.