Ashely overwhelmed with joy that she will be going to Cape Town

Hi! My name is Ashley Hallstrom and I am a Junior at UConn double majoring in Public Policy and Human Rights with a Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies minor. 

I never thought that I would actually study abroad during my undergrad career. If I did, I wanted to go to Europe because I've been to Italy and I would've loved to go back...mainly because I've been dying to get back to this amazing restaurant in Perugia that serves the best pizza I have ever had. I dream about eating that pizza again. Anyway, I decided to study abroad in Cape Town because my advisor thought it would not only be an experience I needed to have, but also because it would be an experience that ties in well with my interests in the political/social/economic factors that help maintain the intersecting inequalities in race, class, and gender. I was hesitant to apply at first because Cape Town is not familiar to me (and because I love pizza), but I decided to look into the program. After doing my research, I fell in love with what the program had to offer! Especially about the fact that I would have an internship that is relevant to my studies. I'm glad I listened to my advisor, that's for sure!

I hope that my time spent in Cape Town will challenge me and help me evolve into the political activist/leader I aspire to be as an adult. I have faith that this experience will give me the necessary tools I need to contribute to dismantling the systems of inequalities I'm interested in.

I am overwhelmed with utter joy and I am still in shock and disbelief that this is going to happen. I can't say I'm too excited to be away from my dogs for an entire semester, but this is something that I need to do. I can't wait for this semester to be over and I am beyond excited to get on that plane in January...can we leave now? Most of all, I'm excited to meet the woman I become from this experience.