My name is LaTrya Gordon and I am a sophomore at Belmont University pursing a degree in social work. I have a passion for helping people and learning about other places. I am trying to raise $9,500 so that I can study away in Turkey in May 2015. This will be my first trip outside of Tennessee. While I have learned a lot from observing people on a daily basis and observing my peers on campus from different states across the U.S., I still feel very limited in my experiences and perspective. A lot of the information that I know comes from a secondary source.  I have always wanted to expand my view and travel to other places around the world to experience life with people outside of Nashville. Turkey will give me the opportunity to expand my perspective and get firsthand experience with a people I have only dreamed of meeting. As a person who has always been independent, I believe that going to a place that I am not familiar with will strengthen my independence and encourage me to take on new challenges and experience new things. 

Since I am majoring in social work, learning as much as I can about diversity and different ways of life will benefit my future career and further expand my understanding of diverse people. This trip will expose me to a different atmosphere. I have always wanted to travel and see how other people live, eat, and go about their daily lives. I am very interested in observing others and learning from them. This trip provides me with college credit, the opportunity to learn about other people, and help me receive credit for my Human Behavior and Cultural Diversity courses. I look forward to being able to travel and experience life in a different part of the world.

Please help me in raising the $9,500 that I will need to cover my tuition and expenses during my study away experience.  I am, unfortunately, unable to use any financial aid to cover this opportunity and would greatly appreciate any and all gifts that help me discover more about myself and the world around me.