Steve Moraco believes students should get to travel the world instead of sitting in lecture halls and going into debt. He founded the Abroad Academy to support, encourage, and inform students who want to travel. It works by equipping students with the skills, mindset, and resources they need to receive scholarships, garner social support, and practice persistence as they work toward their goals.

Laura Breshock is the Donor Relations Coordinator at Pike Place Market Foundation in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Linfield College (Oregon) in 2014 with a BA in History. During her undergrad, she traveled to Oslo, Norway for her study abroad, where she studied cultural education. She graduated from King’s College London in 2016 with a MA in Creative and Cultural Industries. She is interested in music, art, and history. She is currently saving up so she can travel again.

You’re investing a great deal of time, energy, and money preparing for your study abroad journey – and it seems that the list of things to do and buy still is endless. But it doesn’t have to be that way – and it doesn’t have to cost that much.

Adam Lough is a senior Supply Chain Management major at the University of Pittsburgh. Aside from majoring in supply chain, Adam has also received a Certificate in West European Studies and concentrations in Spanish and German language. He has had several internships and jobs, including an internship at DHR International, working on a consulting project for the Sarah Heinz House, an internship with Bosch Automotive Steering, and has been working at the International Business Center since August 2013.

Hi, I'm Alexandra Oetzell, I graduated spring of 2015 from SDSU and completed my degree in Studio Art in 4 years. I spent my final year abroad, studying in Florence, Italy. I love to paint and draw, but as long as I'm working with my hands, I'm a happy girl! Since I returned from my 12 months abroad, I picked up this school bus project.

Cassidy Davis is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, where she received two degrees, one in Communication and one in Digital Media. She also graduated with a Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies certificate and a minor in Theater. She has spent all three of her summers in college interning in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. She first interned for Susie Farris Casting, and then worked for CBS for two summers.

Hi, I’m Ally Buzzanga, a 25 year old postgraduate who’s passionate about cultural shock, urban environments, and fish & chips. I spent the fall of 2012 studying abroad in London and decided then that living and traveling abroad was something that I was passionate about. Study abroad programs are getting more and more popular in the US and that’s great. I’d love to see American culture fully embrace the “gap year” and “gone travelling” attitude that my foreign friends so casually mentioned.

Stormy Sweitzer is a consultant, everyday explorer, and co-author, with her husband/collaborator Will Swanepoel, of the YA environmental spy thriller The Drowning Shark: A Sierra Rouge Adventure (read our author interview here!). You can discover more of Stormy's writing at StormySweitzer.com.

Tera Sabatino is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a History major with a concentration in 20th century history and will be starting nursing school in the fall. She notes, "after studying abroad, I caught the travel bug and would love to spend time being a travelling nurse." 

Kirsten Maxwell runs Kids Are A Trip, which is a family travel resource sharing tips and advice about travel with children in hopes of helping other families plan their vacations. She notes, "We are a Chicago-based family with three boys who love to explore the world around us. We believe travel in itself is an education and we hope to educate ourselves and others as we share our experiences and adventures around the world."