Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it."   -Eudora Welty

In January of 2011 I began my first semester at the University of South Florida as an art history major. I know art history doesn’t seem like a legit major, but it is and they even give you a degree at the end of your education. It’s a subject that envelopes more than just the composition, color, form, and medium of a work, but also the social, political, religious, geographic,  and cultural background of art.

It was during my first semester that I first learned of the art history study abroad program. A full month in Paris and a week in London, it was a dream opportunity. I quickly dismissed the idea due to the cost of tuition, airfare, and food; it was beyond my pay grade. Fast-forward to the fall semester when the school began to push the program as the deadline to apply was quickly approaching. In each of my classes I was forced to sit through the sales pitch by a fellow student who had experienced the program that past summer. With each announcement of the trip my resolve began to wane.  I went home that evening and declared to my parents that I would be going to Paris!

Here I am, six months later, and well on my way to studying in Paris and London over the summer. It hasn't been an easy (or cheap) road, but I believe it will be an invaluable experience and I can’t wait to live in Paris!