Shona's thinking if she can do this she can do anything

Greetings from my life bubble! My name is Shona Barton- Negreiros, and I am a junior at UConn. I am double majoring in Communications and Human Rights, with a minor in Theatre Studies. I hope to work in an education setting, creating art and theatre programs in urban areas for kids of all ages at risk of either leaving school or not pursuing a higher education.

I learned about the Cape Town program in the Fall of 2015 and was hooked on the idea of going to a part of the world I am unfamiliar with. As a Human Rights major, the internship aspect of the program particularly appealed to me because of how unique the experience is and how it will help me start exploring the real world. I await to accomplish many things, dabbling within the personal and academic realms, but mostly I want to open a part of my heart to another place on this earth that will hopefully change me forever (dream big or go home, right?). I hope to do some crazy things like go cage diving and bungee jumping, but I also want to meet people who open my eyes to human rights issues internationally. 

I am so excited and almost in shock if we're being honest, because it doesn't seem possible that this is a reality of mine. To be away from home for this period of time intimidates me a lot, but I hope I learn how to properly cook for myself -especially chicken because I'm particularly bad at that one food- as an adult like creature who is trying to grow up. I have often found that going out on my own makes me want to stick my head into a pile of dirt (yes, like an ostrich), so this experience will hopefully begin to calm my anxieties, because if I can do this, I can do anything! I'm just all around so excited to just get up and go, go, go!