My sweet friends and I at the Blue Lagoon in Malta during our last week abroad 😦

My global theme is Inequality and Human Rights, and my global challenged focuses on ensuring equitable access to education for women and children displaced my migration or conflict. Through my Sociology of Inequality, Health Illness and Society, and Violence Against Women courses, I was able to explore my challenge from two connected angles: the broader systemic structures that create and sustain inequality, and the specific ways violence, more particularly intimate partner violence can hinder a woman and or her child’s access to education and the resources meant to protect them. For example, in my Violence Against Women course, I learned more about how survivors of intimate partner violence often face compounding barriers such as unstable housing, financial dependence on their abusers, and disrupted routines that make consistent access to education nearly impossible for themselves and their children. This especially heightened if you are a migrant to a new country because one’s vulnerability is increased with instability. It became clear to me that addressing inequality in education can’t be separated from addressing violence itself; the two are deeply connected. And together, these three classes helped me to see clearly where the real gaps exist between the rights people are entitled to and the help that actually reaches them.  

Additionally, my Violence Against Women course instructor was Dr. Marceline Naudi, a leading activist for gender inequality and violence against women in Malta and across Europe. She is one of the co-writers of the Istanbul Convention, an international human rights treaty created by the Council of Europe to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. The treaty is built upon four pillars: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Integrated Policies and has now been signed into law by 45 countries and the European Union. Learning from Dr. Naudi, someone who has spent her entire career shaping international policy and providing resources to women across the world, gave me a far broader perspective that I had previous. I came to understand gender-based violence not just as an issue that varies from person to person, but one that is deeply shaped by the specific legal, cultural, and political systems of each country. This means that solutions must be just as thoughtful and context specific as the problems themselves. In Malta, specifically, I learned how the country’s strong ties to Catholicism have historically influenced family and reproductive policy at the national level. For example, divorce was not legalized in Malta until 2011, and abortion remains illegal in nearly all circumstances. Barriers like these illustrate how deeply religion, politics, and culture are intertwined in shaping the protections or lack thereof that are available to women. 

Dr. Naudi’s class had a profound impact on me and deeply inspired me to continue my hopes of perusing a legal career centered on gender inequality. The knowledge and information I received in her class is something I will take with me for the rest of my life and will be applied directly into the policy and advocacy work I partake in. 

Surfside Beach, Malta. My favorite place in the world.

Mina and I swimming at Tigne Point Beach facing the capital city Valletta, Malta.

Mia, Mina, and I at the International Firework Show in Valletta, Malta.

Festa Frawli or the Strawberry Festival in Mgarr, Malta.

Dingli Cliffs, Malta.

Beyond the classroom, I had the opportunity to travel to fourteen cities and eight countries across Europe which gave me the chance to experience an incredible range of cultures, people, and ways of life. Some of my favorite moments came from hearing stories of shop and café owners, many of whom were genuinely delighted to learn we were from America and from the unplanned discoveries along the way, whether it was a hole in the wall restaurant, a small museum, or getting a little lost with friends and relying on the kindness of strangers to find out way. One of my favorite experiences happened when my friends and I had taken the wrong bus to the middle of Malta. We were sitting on the steps of a small but beautiful church waiting for the next bus to arrive, when an older man approached us and asked us where we were from. After discovering we were from the United States, he informed us he was the first Maltese person to go to school at Yale! It was absolutely incredible, and his kindness and storytelling are something I will never forget. Being surrounded by so many strangers, languages, foods, and traditions made the world feel so much bigger than I had ever understood it to be. 

More than anything, this experience taught me the value of community. Nearly every country I visited (in Italy especially) felt deeply connected in a way I don’t often experience back home in the U.S. It reminded me that you can’t truly understand a place, a culture, or a group of people until you have experienced it for yourself, and that approaching the world with an open mind reveals far more than any assumption ever could. As I move into future leadership roles, I want to carry this same openness with me and work on building the same kind of genuine community I witnessed abroad into whatever spaces I lead in the future. 

Here I am in the Amalfi Coast, Italy.

Julia, Mallory, and at the Fisherman’s BastionI in Budapest, Hungary at sunrise.

Farro, Portugal.

Vienna, Austria.

Ashlyn (my friend from high school) and I in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Eiffel Tower at night in Paris, France. My dream come true!!!

Perhaps the most special part of my time abroad were the friendships I made. The nine girls who became my best friends and Maltese “family” are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and their friendships I will cherish forever. We traveled to so many different countries together, celebrated four birthdays with one another, tried more new foods than I can count, found ourselves in difficult situations, and experienced homesickness alongside some of the best memories of our lives. I don’t think my experience would have been nearly the same without them, and I am endlessly thankful I went into this experience with an open mind. I laughed more than I ever have and did something new almost every day. These girls and memories I will hold close to my heart and think about for the rest of my life. 

Reese and I at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy.

Julia, Mallory and I celebrating St. Patties Day in Malta.

Mia and Mina’s Birthday Celebration in Malta!

Mia, Mallory, Julia, Amelia and I in Sicily, Italy.

Pasta making class in Rome, Italy.

Maddie, Mia, Reese, Mina, Ameila, Julia, Mallory and Mallory’s sister Alyssa celebrating Julia’s birthday in Paceville, Malta.

Mayah, Mia, Mina, Julia, Reece, Mallory and I at Triton’s Fountain in Valletta, Malta.

In the end, studying abroad pushed me far out of my comfort zone. It taught me a level of independence I had never experienced before, forced me to navigate hard situations and find real solutions, and somehow did all of this while having the best time of my life alongside my closest friends. It’s an experience I will carry with me, in who I am, how I lead, and the career I hope to build moving forward with my life. There is a Malta shaped hole in my heart forever.  

Riviera, Beach, Malta. I sure did fall in love with you Malta!