Out of the Nest Summer 2024: kaylee van eps

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

I chose to travel abroad to the Netherlands because of my family's Dutch heritage. It excited me to travel to Europe for the first time all by myself! While there, I took a class on Intercultural Communication & Leadership. I presented about the differences between the Netherlands, US, and Danish Cultures. Through my travels, I also learned a lot about the history of the Netherlands.

Three Highlights of Your Trip:

1. My family (parents & grandma) visiting at the end of my class and exploring with them

2. Taking a weekend to travel to Denmark and visit my teammate Maddie

3. Spending a day on my own exploring the Amsterdam Zoo

Lehigh gave me the resources I needed to find available summer study abroad opportunities. I knew I wanted to go abroad, but also wanted to be at Lehigh to train with my basketball team, so coordinating with my coaches and study abroad advisor was important and helpful.

Two Things You Learned About Yourself:

1. I learned more about independence and what that looks like for myself

2. I learned I would love to travel more around Europe to gain perspectives on other cultures

Advice to future Lehigh student-athletes considering opportunities to travel abroad:

Try to immerse yourself in the culture as much as possible while being there, and ask questions about the culture!

Appreciate