Hello everybody! My name is Erica Love and I am a rising senior majoring in French and international studies with minors in political science, linguistics, and history and a certificate in West European studies. This summer, I participated in the Pitt in D.C.-Brussels Maymester program. I chose this program because I knew it would help further my academic and career goals by presenting me with unique opportunities to hear from government and policy  professionals and to learn more about transcontinental relationships and institutions. 

I have always been interested in governance and politics but at the same time had long been intimidated by what it takes to enter the field and to build a meaningful career within it. At the same time, my academic interests had begun to shift from the domestic towards the international, specifically looking at issues within the French and francophone sphere instead of strictly American politics and governance. This program looked to be a way to blend these goals and help me delve further into the workings and focuses of transcontinental relationships and the organizations behind them, namely the European Union and NATO. 

Coming in with my own, American perspective, I knew very little about the E.U. in particular before the start of the program, as well as the specificities of how the U.S. collaborates with it and the role it plays in other major organizations. I recognize that study abroad and study away programs in general can truly change one’s perspective and reveal new ways of thinking, and I would say that even in the first portion of the trip in D.C., I started to reexamine my way of thinking about the U.S. on the world stage and realizing the power that other countries and institutions have in shaping transcontinental policy and democratic identity. 

Perhaps most impactful and eye-opening to me were the site visits and speakers that we heard from on a daily basis. Learning from those with firsthand experience really puts their topics into perspective. Further, meeting and having access to these professionals has enabled me to better conceptualize and understand how to achieve a career in their fields. It has made, for example, being a policy professional or foreign service officer more tangible to me and has undoubtedly inspired and reignited me to work towards these opportunities. 

With that said, I am so glad to have selected this program for the summer and I look forward to sharing more about my experiences!