“Cowboy Country” is often governed by lore, and I have found that the best way to know a person is not only through the tales they tell, but also the means with which they employ to share their experiences. UWC Dilijan was an experience that introduced me to people and cultures I could only begin to appreciate in this way. Every conversation was as riveting as every person leading it. I fell in love with the variety of languages one could speak throughout the day and the ways your register would vary within each language. Coming from Montana, I never thought I’d be able to leave the state, let alone leave the country to go experience over eighty nationalities introduced to me by vivid personalities.
During my time at UWC Dilijan in Armenia, I did not go home during my winter breaks. Rather, I decided to travel Europe as I was ultimately aware that I may never receive the same opportunity for a decent amount of time. I have had the fortune of travelling to France, Switzerland, Germany, Georgia, and Scotland during my time at UWC. In almost every location, I could meet with my co-years and friends like I was at home. When in UWC, you discover that home travels with you as much as you travel to find it! Though I had previously been abroad for the U.S. State Department in Thailand, I found that representing yourself as a member of your country rather than representing your country as a whole is a much more intimate affair – and one worth experiencing. I cannot say if people have ever found me intriguing, I can say that a reason one may find me to be so would be how I always prefer anecdotes to small talk. With the small histories of every modest human you’ve met, you’ve lived hundreds of lives in a location as opposed to the one you were living when you’ve visited.
Lewis and Clark is, ironically, the reason I first heard about UWC. As my sister studied at this school, she informed me of many friends she had who had participated in “this thing called UWC.” Thus, it seemed almost natural that I should come back to Lewis and Clark to continue following my passions discovered at UWC, as many alumni had done before me. Conveniently located next to the roots of the Rockies, my home, the college offers the perfect location to continue my academic passions via the Biology and World Languages majors. Located next to the ocean, the wildlife of the surrounding region is amazing for biological experience and what better way to better my competence in French and Russian than to be surrounded by a larger concentration of internationals than what I would consider standard in many locations? Furthermore, my love of camping, hiking, climbing, kayaking, and other outdoor activities is easy to indulge in the surrounding area. After all, I’ve already exhausted my options at home!
In essence, at Lewis and Clark, I hope to be able to better myself while honing my passions for biology and languages into a career that provides peace and a sustainable future.