Angel Hurtado (Panama) on Cultivating Joy

It has been two years since I stepped out of my comfort zone and decided to start my journey as a Global UGRAD exchange student, and for sure, my life has been nothing but extraordinary since.

I still remember when my semester at Wayne State ended, I could not help feeling sad to say goodbye to the memories I created on and off campus with the lovable people I had the luck to call friends along my journey. However, I was excited to begin a new chapter on which the experiences and knowledge acquired within my time as a UGRAD would help me push the boundaries of my dreams, and that’s exactly when I knew that I wanted more, and that is exactly what I did.

Once I went back to Panama, I decided that it was time for me to bring the same joy I had on my exchange program to my everyday life, so I got myself involved with the international admissions department of my home university in order to help other students to have the same fun and excitement in Panama, as I did in the States. Along with the joy of making others create one of a kind memories, I decided that it was time for me to be in that position again, so I applied and successfully got accepted to an academic exchange initiative to study at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the Czech Republic for a whole semester, and even though my time there synched with the current pandemic, it was not a reason to stop enjoying and living my best life.

It is common for us when we make friends during Global UGRAD to say that we are going to visit them at some point of our lives without really knowing when that is going to happen, and let met me tell you that it can be sooner than expected. Since in this opportunity I got the chance to visit good friends all around Europe that I made during my semester in the States. So, I encourage you guys to keep dreaming big, keep aiming for the starts, and keep that traveling heart of yours, because the sky is not the limit.

Once a UGRAD, always a UGRAD!

Angel Hurtado, Panama, Global UGRAD 18-19, Wayne State University

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