For K-Stater Addie Mead, a trip to Italy brings her dream of merging travel and teaching closer to reality.
Addie Mead has always had a love for travel, so a study abroad experience was a natural next step in her college career. But the more typical semester-long trips were too much of a time and money commitment for the elementary education major.
When Mead learned about a month-long leadership study abroad in Orvieto, Italy, she knew she couldn’t pass it up, especially with her leadership minor. But there was still one problem — it was too expensive.
After putting in the work through research and applications, Mead received a boost from K-State in the form of multiple scholarships, including one from the College of Education for study abroad.
When in Rome
While in Italy, Mead had weekends free to explore Orvieto and get comfortable with travelling on her own, a skill very important for her dream of becoming a travelling teacher.
“Through the leadership program, they had us do a lot of activities to expose us to the culture and help us learn new things,” she said. “We took paper making, pottery painting and cooking classes.”
Her most influential experience in Italy was a volunteer service opportunity at a middle school. Though it was part of the leadership program’s plans, it fell right in line with Mead’s interests. She got a welcome taste of what her future could look like.
“The trip gave me confidence that I can achieve my goals and combine my interests in the best way possible,” she said. “I don’t care where I go, I just know I want to teach in different countries, and study abroad really helped me see that it is possible.”
By Kate Ellwood