I’m natively from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but for five years, my husband and I lived in southwest Michigan. My husband has family that live in the area, and Fernando and I were newly engaged when we first settled in the Kalamazoo area in 2009. I started attending Western Michigan University in 2011 for my master’s degree, and we got married that same year in the fall. As a graduate student, you’re limited with time off because of academic commitments, but we didn’t mind delaying our honeymoon at all. 

Justin Starr started at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in 2002 as a high school dual enrollment student. He took the bus from his home in Sewickley to Allegheny Campus, and earned his Associate of Science in General Studies. Later, Justin went on to get his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science from the University of Virginia, and his Master of Science and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Florida.

The Carnegie Science Center, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is one of the most wonderful places for anyone, especially children, to learn about science through all five senses and interactive experiences. I remember as a young child taking field trips there in primary school. I visited about five years ago when my brothers were still little and a family friend treated all of us there because her daughter worked there.

Brooke Roberts has captured attention with her audacious personality, get things done attitude, and no-nonsense approach to career, entrepreneurship, yoga, travel, and life. After building a successful career in international education, Brooke became one of the youngest female executives in the youth travel industry tripling the Go Abroad team, reach, and revenue in just three years.

Ciao! Michelle Wass is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh and about to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences (with concentrations in biology, chemistry and psychology); an Italian minor, and a Global Health Certificate. She made the best decision of her life to study abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring 2013 semester.

Megan Lee is an Overseas Educator with Carpe Diem Education. She's originally from Merrillville, Indiana. She graduated from Valparaiso University with a degree in International Economics and Chinese. While in college, she was fortunate to study abroad in China as well as South Africa and Namibia. Read her interview below about working abroad and connecting to Megan through Twitter!

"I love chatting all things study abroad; don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions / want someone to geek out with about travel. Just hit me up on Twitter @peglegmeg. :-)"

Josh Trach is a junior marketing major at the University of Pittsburgh. In the fall 2014, he studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Other than having the absolute best time of his life, he learned an incredible amount about the world and even more about himself.

Emily Wilson is a current junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Economics and Political Science. She interned abroad in Berlin, Germany in the summer of 2014 for three months. She interned with a startup company in Berlin called Gourmesso and worked mostly with sales and marketing.

Erin Sanderson is a Film Studies and Communications double major at the University of Pittsburgh. She studied with the Pitt in London program for a semester, which was through the provider, CAPA. She’ll be going abroad again briefly in April, where she’ll spend 10 days in Ireland.

Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities in the world, and as someone who has traveled to 14 countries (and counting!), I can really say that with gusto! From living in different cities like Miami, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Rome, Italy, I can say that I have a sincere appreciation for the Iron City that I never had before.