Gina is a sophomore majoring in Global Studies with a History minor. She studied abroad the summer before her sophomore year through the CIEE Summer Ghanaian Studies program in Accra, Ghana. Going abroad to a developing nation broadened her view on the world. Gina felt being a student of color was a barrier when traveling abroad, so she is hoping to encourage others to overcome their barriers and step out of their comfort zone. She is also an out-of-state student, which helped encouraged her to venture out onto new terrain. The most impactful experience that she had was obtaining an internship with an NGO where she worked on implementing water filtration systems. Some advice that she has to those thinking about traveling to the continent of Africa is to be considerate of the culture differences. Some things may be unfamiliar, but be open, as culture is extremely important to those that live there.
Email Gina at gadatsi2@illinois.edu to learn more about her experience.
