From the looks of it, our University community members sure enjoyed themselves over the summer months. From big adventures around the world to relaxing family getaways, take a look at the fun they had.

Aaron Lener ’27 still remembers the exact moment linguistics stopped being a subject he was curious about and became the work of his life.

As a high school senior sitting in on a historical linguistics class by , associate professor of linguistics in the , Lener heard about the Bantoid languages of West Africa.

By the time classes started that fall, he had a research proposal in hand and a seat on Green’s research team. Three years later, that early spark has grown into a body of work substantial enough to earn him a , one of the most competitive graduate fellowships in the country.

The Beinecke Scholarship provides substantial funding for the graduate education of young people of exceptional promise. It is open to junior-year college students and was created to enable them to be courageous in selecting research or creative-focused courses of graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Lener was one of 16 Beinecke Scholars selected from a national pool of nominated students in 2026.

Lener’s résumé is wide-ranging. He is a double major in linguistic studies and international relations, a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and is a 2026-27 Remembrance Scholar. He has engaged in fieldwork on endangered Nigerian languages, a policy internship in Brussels, Belgium, and a courtroom-observation stint in New York’s court system. During a study abroad semester in Strasbourg, France, he also held a position inside the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Social Rights, where he researched case law affecting more than 700 million people.

A Family Connection

All of Lener’s work around the power of language traces back to his home. Lener grew up in rural Homer, New York, 35 minutes from the Onondaga Nation, with a great-grandmother born to Mohawk Nation parents.

Hearing family stories about language repression left him, in his words, with “an acute understanding of the dangers of language loss,” an awareness that now animates his research on Jhar and Gwak, two severely understudied Jarawan languages spoken in Nigeria.

As the only syntactician on Green’s team, Lener has spent three years building an analysis of how these languages express negation, working from recordings gathered through WhatsApp calls with native speakers thousands of miles away.

It is at times frustrating work—Lener describes trying to parse grammatical structure over calls with motorcycles in the background—but it has already produced a first-author paper under review at Studies in African Linguistics and presentations at conferences from Cornell to the University of Notre Dame to the Annual Conference on African Linguistics in Buffalo.

Scholarship Based on Experience

Much of Lener’s distinctive scholarship draws on experience outside a linguistics department. His Russian minor, initially a personal interest, turned out to connect directly to his fieldwork.

Much of the foundational theory behind modern syntax emerged from the Russian Formalist movement. Lener has researched that history alongside his African-language work, a link made more urgent, he says, by Russia’s growing military presence in West African nations like Burkina Faso and Niger, not far from where his Jhar and Gwak language consultants live.

A summer with Education International in Brussels had him producing a policy toolkit on mother-tongue education for teachers’ federations across Africa. His work in Strasbourg, reviewing European Social Charter compliance and researching labor protections for platform workers, has little to do with Jarawan syntax on its surface. But Lener sees it as one more facet of the same conviction: that language, whether encoded in grammar or in law, is fundamentally about how people are seen and protected.

After noticing members of his own rural community were struggling to connect with the Spanish-speaking migrant workers who had recently moved there, Lener started a series of community Spanish classes in Homer. He later taught English to refugees from Ukraine, Sudan and Afghanistan through a Syracuse resettlement program. Showing people that unfamiliar languages and cultures “are not scary” is one of the most direct ways to combat the fear that comes from a lack of exposure.

Jolynn Parker, director of Syracuse’s , says Lener has “extraordinary energy, boundless curiosity and a keen analytical mind.”

“Aaron is poised to be a leader in the field of linguistics and to contribute meaningfully to the description and preservation of threatened languages,” she says.

As for the future, Lener is certain he will be using language to make a difference in the world.

“I want to look in the mirror and tell myself, with confidence, that I am doing something good for others,” he says.��

This May a group of Syracuse Florence students traded the familiar cobblestones of Tuscany for the sun-drenched markets and volcanic hillsides of Sicily.

From April 30 to May 9, they traveled the length of the island as part of Culinary Crossings, a Signature Seminar designed and led by food studies Professor Olivier De Maret that used cuisine as a window onto centuries of Mediterranean history, culture, and exchange.

The seminar was exclusively food-focused unlike a previous travel seminar led by De Maret in collaboration with retired photography professor Stefania Talini. “This time around we focused on getting to know the people that make up the island’s food system,” he says.

Markets, Farms and Family Tables

The ten-day itinerary moved students through some of Sicily’s most distinctive culinary landscapes. In Palermo, they dove headfirst into the city’s legendary street food culture with a guided tour of the Ballarò market—one of the oldest and most vibrant outdoor markets in southern Italy—complete with tastings.

On the contrast to Florence, De Maret says, “Especially the energy we witnessed in Palermo’s outdoor markets, as well as the kindness, openness and hospitality Sicilians showed us.”

From Palermo, the group traveled east to the island’s rolling interior, stopping at the Azienda Agricola Fiumefreddo near Troina before continuing to the Baroque city of Siracusa, where they were based for four nights.

Days out of Siracusa brought visits to the Bonajuto chocolate factory in Modica—Sicily’s legendary chocolate-making center, where the ancient Aztec-influenced method of cold-processing cacao has been practiced since the 1700s, as well as a cooking class in Noto and a visit to Il Biviere, an organic citrus farm in Lentini.

The seminar concluded near Etna, where students visited the Fattorie Romeo del Castello in Randazzo, a historic wine and farming estate on the volcano’s northern slopes, before a final dinner together in Taormina.

Transformed by These Experiences

The highlights of the trip were the two farm visits: Fiumefreddo and Romeo del Castello.

“In both places, we were warmly welcomed into family homes and involved in daily activities,” says De Maret. “Besides learning new skills such as gardening, we felt the care and joy put into the production, preparation and sharing of food in very intimate contexts. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that most of us were transformed by these experiences,�� including the families hosting us.”

Why Sicily?

The choice of Sicily as a destination was itself pedagogically significant. De Maret sees the island’s cuisine as a kind of living archive of the Mediterranean world—layered with the influences of Greek, Arab, Norman, Spanish and Italian cultures that have passed through over millennia.

“Sicily and its cuisine provide a fascinating lens through which to approach these exchanges,” he says, “and reflect on what makes Italian cuisine Italian, if anything.”

That question—deceptively simple, endlessly complex—was central to what he hoped students would take away.

“The multiplicity of meanings associated with Sicilian cuisine, and how the history of the island and contemporary interests shape it,” De Maret says of the seminar’s core lessons.

Beyond the specifics of Sicilian food, he hopes the experience planted a more lasting habit of mind: “I hope that students now see the value of thinking through food in order to understand the world and their place in it—and that they will keep thinking critically about broader social and cultural processes at play in kitchens and beyond.”

Culinary Crossings: Food Culture, Identity and the Mediterranean is offered as part of the University’s Signature Seminars initiative, which supports faculty-led travel courses that extend classroom learning into the field.

Students interested in studying abroad in Florence can apply for Fall 2027 programs beginning Nov. 15.

Seventeen students from Syracuse University, including students from the , , and , traveled to Asia in May as part of an 18-day study abroad trip for the �� (SPM 440/SAL 440) class.�� , associate professor of sport management, and�� , professor of sport management, led the trip.

Traveling to Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo, the students learned about local sport ecosystems by visiting the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, Korean Sport Promotion Foundation, K-league, Chinese Soccer League, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and more. They learned about the globalization strategies of U.S. sport entities by meeting with NFL China, NBA China, MLB Asia and the PGA Tour; and studied the impact of mega sporting events by visiting Seoul’s Olympic Park, Beijing National Stadium (also known as the Bird’s Nest, which played host of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and 2022 Winter Olympic Games) and Japan National Stadium.

The Syracuse students engaged in joint classes with local students from Sungkyunkwan University and the Chinese University of Political Science and Law. They also�� attended local events such as a Korean baseball game at Jamsil Stadium, Chinese soccer at Worker’s Stadium, Nike high school basketball at Wukesong Arena and Japanese baseball at Tokyo Dome.

The trip provided opportunities for cultural immersion, including gaming and esports, screen golf, kung fu and kendo, as well as sightseeing at the Korean National Palace, the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Tokyo Samurai Museum.

“Taking in the beautiful grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace was a one-of-a-kind experience that can’t be expressed in words,” said sport management major Zach Siegel ’27. “You could feel the rich history and culture all around.”

The students kept a of their day-by-day experiences.

“This study abroad program was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We just didn’t just learn about sports management in a classroom, we experienced the culture firsthand,”�� said sport analytics major Jeremy Shatzer ’28.

Story by Margie Chetney

A stereotype in the global education sector is that��it’s��especially difficult for students in STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—to study abroad. Syracuse Abroad combats this thinking through special partnerships��allowing��STEM students��to��explore their fields in a range of countries, with access to��cutting-edge��laboratories and transformative experiential learning activities.

The University’s international STEM opportunities range from a special program for aerospace, bio, civil, computer, electrical, environmental and mechanical����to internships at the Istituto di��Neuroscienze��of Italy’s National Research Council through the��.

Coding With Scottish Schoolchildren

In February, computer engineering major Hassatou Bah ’28 traveled with a delegation from the London Center to visit Lockerbie, Scotland, the site of the Pan Am Flight 103 Air Disaster in 1988. With support from the��Kim and Michael Venutolo ’77 Fund for Experiential Learning, students studying abroad in London are invited to��participate��in a special Remembrance Exchange weekend each semester.

Remembrance resonates with Bah because of her family’s experience and sacrifice. “My family crossed��an��ocean to give me opportunities they never had. The students who were lost were crossing an ocean for��an education. Like me, they held hopes for what Syracuse could help them become,” she says.

While in Scotland, Bah “paid it forward” with younger students. Lockerbie Academy hosted more than 100 P7 pupils (the Scottish equivalent of sixth graders) for a special transition day designed to give them a sense of what studying in secondary school would be like. Syracuse London students were asked to lead workshops for the transitioning pupils, with a special request for a session about computer coding.

During an hour-long workshop (which they delivered four times in a row for��different groups), Bah and a classmate highlighted women who have contributed to the development of computers, such as Ada Lovelace and Katherine Johnson. They taught the basics of HTML and guided pupils in a hands-on activity to develop their own code to display and graphically transform their names on a website.

“As an engineer,��I’m��drawn to��building. But what Syracuse and Lockerbie have built together is far greater than any system: it is a bridge of memory, compassion and human resilience,”��Bah says.

Understanding Holistic Healthcare

In summer 2024,��teaching��professor Lisa Olson-Gugerty from the Maxwell School’s public health department��travelled to the UK for a special section of “Understanding Health Systems: Macro and Micro Perspectives” (PHP 306), which examined differences between the U.S., UK and Europe in how public health is managed, how health science is funded and how healthcare is delivered.

Syracuse Abroad Global Ambassador Tommy��DaSilva ’26, a student in the course,��was blown away by��the UK’s centralized health system, and credits Olson-Gugerty for providing��“more global insight that I can take with me into a future of federal policymaking.”

That summer, DaSilva also took the “Green Britain: Science, Devolution and Climate Controversies in the UK” traveling class, through which he had the opportunity to visit the Welsh Parliament (Senedd). The Senedd has been a leading political body for investment in climate justice and science-led environmental management, as well as inclusive healthcare. The course’s field studies in Cornwall highlighted the interactions between marine conservation projects like the UK’s����and��planetary health.

After a summer abroad,��DaSilva��returned to campus as a 2024-26��Lender Student Fellow, which��provided��the opportunity to see how lessons from their experiences abroad could improve the social determinants of health for vulnerable groups, especially in relation to housing.

Engineering Sustainable Communities��

In��spring 2019, Anna Feldman ’21 spent a semester in Florence with Syracuse��Abroad’s��Engineering program. A year later, she was named a Udall Scholar for her dedication to pursuing environmental work.

Feldman’s community engagement included teaching young��teenagers about water chemistry in Onondaga Lake, sharing her love for physics with local Syracuse pupils and helping��kids at the Museum of Natural History��learn to work with microscopes. She also contributed to a project on micropollutants in Kampala, Uganda, co-authoring a paper published in��.��Today,��she��works on stormwater resiliency and green infrastructure projects as a water resources engineer in New York City.

“I build hydrologic and hydraulic models to visualize the impacts of extreme storms on our natural and built environment,”��says Feldman. She credits much of her interest in water resources��to��, professor of practice in civil and environmental engineering and an expert in urban stormwater management and smart sensing “whose notes on closed pipe flow I still use on the daily,” Feldman says.

Allyson Greenberg ’22, another alumna of the Syracuse Florence

Engineering program, was part of the spring 2020 class whose time in Italy was cut short by COVID-19. Despite her hasty departure, Greenberg has some great memories from her time abroad, including time spent in the Arctic Circle while on a traveling seminar about sustainability in Northern Europe. She went on to graduate with a BS in environmental engineering and an��.

After graduating, Greenberg began working as a sustainable energy consultant. The role gave her insight into the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, measuring and mitigating agricultural emissions, and the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings initiative, among others. The wide range of projects that��she’d��been exposed to allowed her to��focus��her interests, and this year she began a new job managing a program reducing residential greenhouse gases in Maryland.

Story by Becca Farnum

Editor’s note: This is the last in a five-part series spotlighting ’s global centers.

Marion Patsalides ’28 didn’t just study in Strasbourg—she biked its backstreets, soaked in its baths and became a regular at the neighborhood patisserie. A mechanical engineering major in the , Patsalides studied abroad in the Fall 2025 semester and found Strasbourg to be more than she imagined.

“Studying abroad changed my perspective on myself and the world around me,” she says. Here’s how Patsalides made the most of every week abroad.

Get a Bike

“Strasbourg is a super bikeable city! My favorite way to explore was on my bike. It really enhanced my knowledge of how to get around and helped me feel more like a local.

“There are relatively cheap bike rentals or a biannual bike sale where you can get your own bike. Make sure to get bike locks, a helmet and a bell. It is illegal to ride a bike in Strasbourg without a bell, so that is an absolute essential.”

Spend a Weekend at Home

“Most people going to Strasbourg plan to travel around Europe almost every weekend. Since you have no classes on Friday (most of the time) and many exciting places to visit, it’s very enticing to book lots of travel every weekend once you get there. Plan a ‘staycation’ for at least one weekend.

“During the week, you will have work or studying to do, including your own classes. Make sure you allot a weekend to stay in Strasbourg and explore the whole city. Visit Homme de Fer for shopping and food and Petite France for the quaint atmosphere. Get to know your home base. It is a whole destination on its own, and it’s worth it to spend the time really getting to know it.

“I spent a few weekends in Strasbourg, including two at the end of the semester when I explored the famous Strasbourg Christmas markets with the millions of tourists in the city at the time.

“Mid-semester, I spent a weekend in Strasbourg touring around parts of the city I hadn’t been to before, and I visited the Strasbourg baths with my host mom. The spa experience was amazing and very relaxing. Experiences like this one can’t be beat, especially when they’re one block away from home!”

Take the Train

“Weekend travel is a huge part of this program. Many people choose to fly around Europe, since Strasbourg Entzheim Airport is just outside the city. I used the airport a few times (all three for the UK to visit family). However, the experience of riding the trains is so worthwhile too. Strasbourg is a major European train hub, so many places are easily accessible by train from the Gare Centrale, which is in turn easy to access by bus or by the A, C or D trams.

“However, if you’re looking to save a little money or visit more places in Germany, just over the border is another large train station in Kiel, Germany. The Strasbourg trams have a stop right over the border at that station (A or D).

“Train journeys provide a beautiful, aesthetic view while getting you to most places in Europe quickly. I remember taking the TGV (French bullet train) to Paris having large windows and gorgeous views of the French countryside. Bring your passport to go over the border, and travel like the locals do!”

Skip the Starbucks

Many of us are reliant on our morning Starbucks, but that isn’t the only option in Strasbourg. There are cafes and patisserie everywhere. While Starbucks, McDonald’s and other fast food do exist in France, there are so many more options at reasonable prices. Strasbourg has a lot of different types of food, and so many amazing restaurants and cafes.

“Some of us students in my French 101 class used to visit Patisserie Gerber Jean around the corner from the Strasbourg villa every day after class, and we became regulars! Explore around your neighborhood and visit local restaurants and cafes instead of the big chains.”

Bring the Travel Guide

“Bring an English guidebook from home for some of the places you think you might travel to (including France). Oftentimes, simply looking on Google for a good restaurant can ensure that you miss hidden gems and small businesses, especially in large cities like London or Paris. With guidebooks, someone has done the leg work and found delicious food for you.

“Also, sometimes guidebooks can find better hotels or hostels that fit your needs. Personally, a Rick Steves recommendation saved me a lot of money in London when he recommended a family-owned hotel a 5-minute walk from Victoria Station with reasonable prices. Better experiences and food can be found with an actual book than Google or ChatGPT can get you.”

As a freshman, Mason Burley ’27 made himself a promise: experience as much of the world as possible and “put myself out there.” In fact, his first trip over the Atlantic was a study abroad experience in Kenya. And he’s been racking up the miles ever since.

“I guess I did put myself out there,” he says.

Since arriving at Syracuse, the , minor and recently-named��Remembrance Scholar and 2027 Class Marshall, has logged study away experiences on four continents—playing soccer with village kids in Kenya, bartering at a Maasai market, teaching at a private school in Poland, standing at the Brandenburg Gate and meeting a Holocaust survivor.

But Burley isn’t collecting passport stamps for the sake of it. Every trip ties back to the classroom he will soon be leading.

“These experiences have helped solidify my decision to be a social studies teacher,” he says. “I wouldn’t be the educator I am without them.”

Burley understands that cost is a reason some students might not do study abroad or study away. But his own journey was made possible by a mix of support that is available to others: the ; the , a gift by Lauri ’77 and Jeffrey Zell ’77; and Syracuse University Abroad.

“Don’t be discouraged by cost,” he says. “There are many opportunities for financial help.”

Even though you might only make one study trip, Burley’s story is proof that trip can change everything.

Below, take a tour around the world with Burley as he describes some of the photographic memories recorded along the way.

Summer 2024: Kenya

Burley: During our study abroad trip to Kenya, we were based in a homestay in the village of Ugweri. This photo was taken when we were heading out for dinner. We met some village kids and played soccer with them. I remember they were fascinated by my hair as they had never met someone with straight hair before.

This Kenya study abroad program is organized by (SOE) professors����and��. It enables pre-service teachers to experiencing rural and urban education in the nation and interact with students, teachers and university faculty.

A major difference I saw with Kenyan education is that the government picks your major based on the state’s needs. Also, the education system is a British colonial holdover. The lessons were very western-centric education, with not much about native history.

This photo shows some of my cohort at Nanyuki, a small village on the Equator that is a big tourist destination even for Africans. My cohort was a mix of undergraduates, graduate students and doctoral students. All were from the School of Education except for one.

One of the most interesting places I visited in Kenya was a Maasai market. There were hundreds of vendors, and we got to barter with them. It was good to experience these local customs, and I became quite well known for bartering!

Spring Break 2025: Washington,�� D.C.

Burley: During Spring Break, SOE Professor����offers��, a credit-bearing immersion week in Washington, D.C. This group was mostly undergraduates from SOE and the . We met with human rights activist groups, visited organization such as the US Institute of Peace, and toured the Holocaust Museum.

As a history teacher, I am interested in teaching the Holocaust and learning how to bring the new era of policies and activism into this work, because human rights abuses are ongoing.

This photo is of almost the entire DC immersion week cohort. We were visiting the world war memorials near the National Mall when we took this selfie next to one of the famous cherry blossom trees. It was a very good cherry blossom day.

Fall 2025: Central Europe (Czechia, Germany, Moldova, Poland, and Romania)

Burley: In 2025, I was awarded a Tyler Center for Global Studies Fellowship, which is a grant made to 12 universities by Florida State University and distributed at Syracuse by��. As part of this grant, I am working on a research paper about Soviet-era education programs, how they affected Soviet bloc children and how they were used to spread propaganda.

The above photo was taken in Warsaw Old Town, which was rebuilt after the bombing of World War 2, using old paintings as references. We spent between three and five days in each country and traveled by bus. We visited museums and other cultural and historical sites, including the Nazi camps Auschwitz and Treblinka, and took classes at Poland’s University of Lower Silesia.

This photo shows the famous Brandenburg gate in Berlin. There was an NFL game being played in the city between the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts. That was a crazy clash between German and American culture!

Berlin was my favorite of all the places we visited. It had both old and newer history, and I was especially struck by the contrast between East and West Berlin, the differences in public transportation and the contrast between the old halogen lights in the East and the new LED lights in West Berlin. As a history teacher, those disparities gave me food for thought.

January 2026: Houston, Texas

Burley: Another short-term study away course SOE offers is the��, which you can take for credit with Professor Emerita��. This program is geared more toward Holocaust educators, so there were social studies education students on this trip, as well as some museum and library studies students.

The cohort traveled to the Holocaust museum in Houston, Texas, to learn how to properly teach about the Holocaust and human rights. There are lectures, and we even met a Holocaust survivor, Bill Orlin, who is a local legend. He is in his 90s, but he is still sharp as a tack, digging back dozens of years. He was a lovely gentleman to talk to, and he made us understand the importance of individual stories when learning about the Holocaust.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series spotlighting ’s global centers.

South America was entirely new territory for Ella Roerden before her semester abroad in Santiago, Chile. Four months later, she left with volcano views, a 10K finish and a new sense of her place in the world.

Roerden is an anthropology and international relations major in the who hails from Syracuse. She has studied abroad for three semesters—Florence in fall 2023, Santiago in spring 2025 and the Exploring Central Europe program in fall 2025—and now serves as a Syracuse Abroad global ambassador.

“I traveled to Europe before, but I had no idea what to expect, frankly, during my trip to South America,” Roerden says. “It ended up working out quite well! I learned a lot about myself and my place in the world there, and my story- and memory-oriented self got to take in so much in just four months. The time I spent in Chile is precious to me, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Here’s what she’d tell every student heading there.

Spend Time Outdoors … Take a Hike!

“Both in the city of Santiago and all around Chile, there are plenty of places to go hiking. Visit the ‘Los Lagos’ (The Lakes) region of Chile to find hikes through forests, wowing you with volcanic views. In towns like Pucón and Puerto Varas, we connected with nature and saw things I would not see back home.

“There is little else as satisfying as cresting the peak of a mountain to find yourself looking across a valley at the crater of a volcano. Chile has hundreds of volcanoes and several mountain ranges, most notably the Andes. You might think hiking up one mountain just to see some other mountains sounds monotonous, but the sights took my breath away every single time. Those hard climbs were worth it to get a glimpse of natural beauty on a scale I don’t see in Syracuse.”

Visit the Public Parks in the City

“Santiago is a massive city, and it can seem like it’s all urban neighborhoods. If you take a closer look, you’ll find plenty of public parks. From the mini-mountain in the heart of the city, Cerro San Cristóbal, to Plaza Ñuñoa, a flourishing neighborhood square, the parks in Santiago are filled with life. After a long day of class, I enjoyed getting ice cream with friends and heading to a centrally-located park to watch the sunset before going home for dinner. Looking back, those moments of fun, whimsy and relaxation in the parks were some of the best times during my semester in Chile.”

Take Advantage of Group Activities

“The program directors are your built-in tour guides. They can teach you so much beyond just the classroom. The group tours offered may seem like just another obligation, but they ended up being some of the best fun I had.

“Santiago is packed with history, and many parts can’t be covered in class lectures. Walking the city with program staff showed me some hidden gems to take my family to when they visited, provided conversation points to take back to my host family and gave me an opportunity to develop deeper bonds with the staff while getting to see Santiago through their eyes. Touring niche neighborhoods and museums gave me a deeper understanding and doing it with the group led to insights I wouldn’t have gotten if I had explored those places alone.”

Act Like a Local

“It can be daunting to try and speak a new language when you’re surrounded by native speakers, but be brave! Do your best to engage with all parts of the culture around you. I attended local artisan markets and crafts fairs, ran a huge 10K race through the heart of the city, went to a music festival, visited an escape room and a cat cafe, and so much more.

“It took me a while to learn that there is more to being in a new place than just doing all the ‘touristy’ things (but those are fun too!). A lot of times, doing the things locals do can be just as cool and interesting, if not more so, than the popular activities and sights.”

Engage With Your Cohort

“Remember that you are all in this experience together! None of you will experience it exactly the same way, but you will have a lot in common and the feeling of being in it together will take you a long way. Along the road, friendships and camaraderie will develop naturally, and hopefully, you will find that you can all lean on one another.

“Periods of change can be hard, especially near-constant travel, so it’s helpful to have a support system of people who are going through the same thing. You’ll always remember when those people were there with you when you needed them most—making you laugh, celebrating, studying and traveling together and living the best of the human experience alongside you.”