Support Bela's Educational Journey Abroad

Hello! I'm Bela, and in my second year of college I'm hoping to study abroad in Lisbon, Portugal!

I've been elected to be eligible for this opportunity Spring 2025 while pursuing my English degree. Learning has always been more than just school to me; it's connection, and an opportunity to grow as a person and as an individual making my way into adulthood. English class has always been more than writing essays, but learning about the world and applying it to the events and patterns I see happening every day.

This study abroad opportunity is a chance to broaden those same topics I learn about in my classrooms in a way I never could have dreamed of before. To go out and meet new people and appreciate the years of culture present in a city so alive is a chance I can only imagine will help me pay it forward, and hopefully one day teach and share the knowledge I've gained with the younger generation in libraries. I've also always dreamed of spending time in another country. The opportunity to combine my two favorite things- school and travel- is a once in a lifetime chance that I would love to have. Talking with my mom over the years about travel opportunities, and our shared dreams of traveling abroad has only made me more desperate to take this opportunity and embody those dreams for the two of us while furthering my education.

For a direct pay link, my venmo is bela-penn but anything helps! Any money I receive will fund my fees for the program, transportation, and living expenses while spending the semester in Lisbon, but sharing this post also helps so much.