Hello, my name is Abigail Runkle! I am a junior majoring in Biochemistry at the College. I am studying abroad with an affiliate program called Semester at Sea. I am currently living on a ship with about 400 other students traveling to eleven different countries, while earning twelve credits through Colorado State University. Being a Biochemistry major, it is difficult to study abroad for a full semester due to the course work and labs that need to be done on land. With the help of transfer credits from high school, I was able to plan my courses by saving my humanities credits to take while abroad.

This program was the best option for me because of the credits that I could transfer back to CofC and I did not have a specific country or region that I wanted to limit myself to study in. Semester at Sea is a unique study abroad program, in which I am able to learn and experience these eleven different cultures on an academic level. I have had the desire to travel the world, and this was the most feasible way during this time in my life. It also gives me an opportunity to see places that I would have never traveled to myself and interact with locals beyond a tourist level.

While abroad, I am expanding my global awareness of social and political issues, learning the impact of my contributions to the world, and growing as an individual. I plan to build deep connections and learn from everything and everyone around me. In each country, my goal is to walk away from each interaction I have by learning at least three things about that person, the location, or the culture. After this semester, I hope that I am more well-rounded, educated individual from these experiences.