Through the eyes of Alyssa Hart, dreams are not impossible. The Lasell senior is an Athletic Training major who is passionate about studying abroad, even though her major’s demands often stop students from doing so. This summer, Miss Hart had the opportunity to travel abroad to Amsterdam, despite once hearing the word “no.”
You’re a lot more than just an AT Major. Tell me about a few of your other main interests?
I really love volunteer work and giving back to my community. I became involved with Niños de Veracruz my freshman year when I was a part of the Honors Program. It geared me in that direction, which was something I never thought I was interested in; I’ve been involved with Niños de Veracruz ever since. That love for volunteering transitioned into me loving different cultures, which is why I’m interested in being a Global Ambassador.
Tell me about your experience abroad, and what it’s like to have a demanding major which won’t typically allow time for study abroad?
I really wanted to study abroad, that was the most important thing coming into college. Being told I can’t with my major was possibly the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever heard, but I was super determined. The study abroad office got multiple emails from me trying to make sure something would work. I did a lot of different research, and I ended up finding a program in Amsterdam during the summer semester, which allowed me to still partake in clinical and my classes during the traditional school year.
Were you studying AT in Amsterdam or more general coursework?
I took two classes while I was there. My classes were [in total] two weeks long, so it was interesting and very accelerated. The first one was Global Health, which isn't as close to my major. It is similar to public health, but looking at more of a global aspect of it. It related my love for medicine and my love for giving back to the community, and combined the two. The other class that I took was Human Movement Analysis, which is directly hands on and everything my major is.
How long were you in Amsterdam and where else did you travel?
I spent about two months abroad but my actual time spent in Amsterdam was around six weeks. I traveled a week before arriving in Amsterdam to Scotland, which was my first trip out by myself. It really laid everything out and gave me the expectation, the confidence, that everything was going to be okay. I went to Belgium for a weekend, and I solo traveled to Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Salzburg. I’d say my favorite part of my trip was either going to the concentration camps in Poland, or seeing where The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
You were completely alone for your travels. How did you enjoy that, and were you ever afraid?
I did it all by myself. It was a really cool experience, actually. I met people along the way, but in some places I decided not to talk to anybody. It is interesting to explore a country on your own, to do what you wanted when you wanted, and not having to compromise what you wanted to do. I was able to tackle my own interests and go off the beaten path, while still being a tourist in those cities. Being a woman in the world, that was my big thing; being a solo female traveler. I definitely chose certain cities for that exact reason. I had my heart set on going to Albania or Russia, but I know that as an American female traveler, on my own, those weren't opportunities I could take by myself.
How do you feel now that you are home and back on your Lasell grind?
It’s weird, a hard feeling to explain honestly. Not only am I missing being abroad, I miss having that chance to explore and do different things. I really miss how innovative Amsterdam is, the city itself and the entire Dutch culture is so different from the states. I miss riding my bike and recycling. In Amsterdam, it’s all happy go lucky.
How else do you feel you’ve been changed or influenced by your abroad experience?
I feel like a mostly changed person. I had a lot of Dutch friends who were vegan or vegetarian, so I am now trying to be more conscious of the environment and of how my food is made or where it is coming from. I’m a major extrovert, I love to be around people, but traveling for two months by myself was definitely a learning experience and I now enjoy alone time, and I need it. Being there made me aware of my surroundings in different ways. It’s okay if you get lost, and it’s okay to slow down in the world.
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