Study Abroad Trip to Colombia

Over spring break, I visited Medellín and Cartagena, Colombia, with fellow COAS Honors students and professors. We traveled to several Afro-Colombian communities to meet other students and community members. We also spent significant time learning about Colombian history through the African lens and immersing ourselves in the culture. Not only did I meet so many great people along the way, but I also improved my Spanish! 

This trip aimed to collect information for each of our research questions, mine being: How does race-related trauma impact the psychological well-being of Afro-Colombian youth? I will spend the rest of the semester developing a research paper on the topic, which I will present.

This trip inspired me to look beyond the experience of being Black in America and to consider how we can connect with and relate to the rest of the African diaspora. I plan to alter my senior honors thesis to include the entire African diaspora, which will be challenging. Still, I am so excited about what my future research holds!

Thanks to Origin and Culture (https://lnkd.in/efDSE5Ap) for hosting us and the COAS Honors Association for curating this life-changing experience!