I met Abbey through work at HOPE Mentoring where she is a mentor in one of Indiana’s juvenile correctional facilities. When I heard she spent a semester abroad in Norway I knew I had to interview her. I can’t wait to pick her brain on what to see, and can’t wait to share this Woman of the Week interview with you.
1. Tell us about yourself.
I am currently a senior at Hanover College. I self-designed my own major for Social Justice and Inequality while minoring in Business. I developed my major because I have a passion for helping people and have known this was my calling my whole life since my younger brother has Autism. He has been my greatest influence to pursue my passion. I am fortunate to be involved on campus in a scholarship program called the Benjamin Templeton Scholars program that allowed me to study abroad in Norway for a semester. On campus I am also involved in HOPE Mentoring as well as LIGHT that goes to the Juvenile Correctional Facility in Madison. This will be my eighth year in Best Buddies and my third year as a Peer Advisor, helping the freshman adjust to college. After school I want to work in prison reform.
2. Why do you travel?
I travel to explore new cultures and get out of my comfort zone. I learn the most from people who do not share similar backgrounds as me.
3. How do you balance work and travel?
Last semester while I was abroad I balanced school and travel quite well because my school schedule allowed me the flexibility to take time off to visit other countries. It can be a difficult balance to adhere to but it is well worth it.
4. What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from your travels?
I have learned to give people the benefit of the doubt. Many times I was out traveling on my own and had to rely on an actual map to get me around, but I also had the help of local people to find my way around the city.
One of my favorite travel memories was venturing through Norway with two of my closest friends and going through the fjords with them. On our way to hike a fjord we were stopped by traffic and decided to venture out of the car for a few minutes. While we were there we ran through fields of sheep and tall grass and were able to really stop and appreciate where we were.
Your number one concern should be about your safety. While I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, if you feel in your gut that a situation does not feel right, you should get out immediately.
Thanks for reading! Want more travel tips from Abbey and women like her?
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