Leah

My name is Leah, and I also hail from the idyllic horse country of Lexington, Kentucky. Currently, I’m preparing to spend the next year with my two equally excited cohorts (that’s you, Alix and Rob) as we jet off to the Middle East to study and research at the University of Jordan. Our avid loves of travel and learning (and slight fear of graduate school applications) encouraged us to brainstorm this incredible opportunity to witness and experience the region we’ve all spent years studying.

As we head off to start a new life full of Arabic classes, security studies research, and everyday learning opportunities, I hope that this experience will teach each of us to appreciate diversity and vibrancy, to live in the moment, and to absorb every aspect of living in a different culture while we can. Personally, I'm looking forward to expanding my language skills in the local dialect, drinking a lot of coffee, meeting new friends, researching with an incredible local professor, and having the chance of a lifetime to live somewhere I love while contributing to my education and the greater academic community.

As an International Relations major with concentrations in International Relations and Arab and Islamic Studies, I’ve spent the past three years of my education exploring other cultures, world history, multiple languages, and international politics. Now it’s time to take my theoretical knowledge of the world and see what I can accomplish as we step out into the world. I hope this blog helps you see the purpose of our efforts, challenges your preexisting convictions, exposes you to the beauties of the Middle East, and lets you see how these experiences change each of us and challenge us to grow into the people we hope to become.