Alumni StoriesHow I went across the world with OCD, and how you can, too by Mack Carmack Hi, I’m Mack, and I have OCD. I don’t really know how else to start this without just getting straight to the point, right? Anyways, I have OCD. Not in a “wow! I’m so quirky, I love organizing…
Alumni StoriesThe Adventure of a Lifetime! by Jacob Vallandingham This program introduced me to what life is like in Europe, let me explore like never before, and gave me the confidence to travel on my own. I had so many opportunities to see historic places, try amazing foods, talk to people that don’t speak the same…
Alumni StoriesA Letter To Those Who Have Not Yet Studied Abroad by Emily Pike Dear Student, You have made the decision to attend higher education for the experience and education it brings. But what if I told you that there is an essential component that can forever change your view of life and your credentials?…
Alumni StoriesReflecting on two months in Spain by Katherine Sehgal After living in Spain with a host family for 2 months in the summer of 2022, I learned a lot that helped broaden my perspective on the world. Before studying abroad with KIIS, I had never been out of the country. Now, I was about…
Written By Melissa Atkins I think the initial reaction when someone finds out they are going to be thrust into a new country for an extended amount of time is both fear and excitement. I know I was definitely flooded with both of these emotions when I was contemplating whether or not to go on…
Alumni StoriesPlaya del Carmen: Day 10 Through 12 by Molly Tierney Playa del Carmen is another great beach destination alongside Cancún for tourists that want plenty of beach clubs for which to enjoy the clear skies, blue water, and soft sand. The blue Playa del Carmen beach. There’s something for non-beach lovers, too: Playa del…
Alumni StoriesMérida: Day 4 Through 10 by Molly Tierney Mérida is the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula, and despite being four hours from the coast, is a popular tourist destination thanks to its convenient location a few hours from Mayan ruins Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. Walking through the streets, I heard Spanish, French, Mayan, and…
Alumni StoriesMexico City: Day 1 Through 4 by Molly Tierney The sheer scale of people in Mexico City is mind-blowing. They spill onto the streets so that the city during Christmastime is just one big festival, and at night vendors set up shop on street corners and sell light-up crowns and popcorn and cotton candy…
Alumni StoriesTouring Temples: Mexico’s Indigenous History and the People Whose Feet Now Trod it by Molly Tierney We get up at six and are slumped against windows and the bus seat in front of us by six-thirty. It’s an Oxxo breakfast: mango juice and Quaker Oat cookies for me. Not the most glamorous of Mexican…
Alumni StoriesSisters’ Separate Paths Both Lead to KIIS by Amelia Kolb Samantha and I both have always loved travel and understanding the world outside of our own experiences. In my freshman year of undergrad, I knew that I wanted to have an experience abroad as a Spanish major, so the KIIS Merida Mexico trip seemed…