Baylor Engaged: Aubrey Gilliam
Hello! My name is Aubrey Gilliam, and I’m a University Scholar with concentrations in International Studies, Political Science, and Great Texts. During my time at Baylor, I’ve had the chance to participate in two amazing off-campus programs: Baylor in Maastricht and Baylor in Washington.
Maastricht is a small storybook town in the south of the Netherlands and the perfect launching pad to explore the rest of Europe. Students take classes four days a week and have the weekends free to travel with an unlimited Eurail pass. With easy access to public transportation, I could be at the Eiffel Tower in an afternoon or reenacting the Sound of Music in Salzburg overnight. The courses we took in between trips were incredible, too. Dutch Art History is still one of my favorite college classes; it’s not every day that you can learn about Rembrandt and Van Gogh while looking at their artwork in person! Baylor in Maastricht is unique among the university’s study abroad programs, as students have nearly four weeks of free travel time after finals. I spent the month tasting churros con chocolate in Spain, soaking up the Mediterranean sun in France, and eating my way through Italy.
Before studying abroad, I had never been overseas, and I worried that the culture shock might be too much. After all, friends back home would be posting photos of Homecoming and fall football games, traditions I’d grown to love and look forward to. But Europe built my confidence in ways I’d never expected, pushing me to step out of my comfort zone and make connections with strangers and fellow students alike. Now, I have a new set of travel traditions to keep up!
The semester after study abroad, I headed to the nation’s capital to participate in the Baylor in Washington Program. Here, I got to translate my newfound confidence into conversations on politics and public affairs. During the day, I interned with the South and Central Asia program at the Hudson Institute, a foreign policy think tank. In the evenings, we heard from an incredible network of guest speakers, gaining insight on topics from foreign policy to the federal budget. Site tours gave us inside access to some of Washington’s little known secrets, like the basketball court at the top of the Supreme Court!
The Baylor in Washington Program was the perfect complement to my experience abroad, as encountering new cultures made me more confident in my interpersonal communication skills. Networking isn’t nearly as intimidating when you’ve traveled halfway around the world for a semester! The connections I made overseas also made me more open-minded to the opinions in Washington, and I really value the diverse perspectives I gained from each experience.
All in all, I wouldn’t change a thing about spending my junior year off-campus! The professional experience, cultural education, and sweet memories I’ve made have all shaped me for the better. Plus, the Baylor friends I made along the way will never be too far — many of them will be in my classes with me this fall. I’m excited to be back and savor my senior traditions, but I love flinging my green and gold afar, too!