Hi! My name is Lucia Gonyea, and I’m from Vienna, Virginia. I’ve just completed my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh, where I’m majoring in Nursing and minoring in Spanish. In my free time, I enjoy going to concerts, crocheting, thrifting, listening to music, and spending time with my friends and family. After graduation, I hope to work for a few years as an operating room (OR) nurse or a travel nurse with a specialty in oncology. Eventually, I plan to return to school to become a nurse practitioner.

I’m extremely excited to be a part of the Plus3 Program! I heard about it before coming to Pitt, and while I wasn’t initially sure which location I’d be most interested in, the presentation on the Buenos Aires program during a nursing seminar completely captured my attention. I knew right away that this was the experience I wanted. My grandmother is Colombian, and I’ve grown up speaking Spanish at home. This has given me a deep appreciation for Latin American cultures and has motivated me to become more fluent and culturally competent, both personally and professionally.

Through the Plus3 Program, I hope to apply what I’ve learned during my first year at Pitt to the new insights I’ll gain abroad. I’m eager to learn how healthcare in Argentina is financed, managed, its response to globalization, and the impact of social determinants of health compared to the U.S. I’m excited to broaden my global perspective, improve my Spanish, and further my understanding of cross-cultural care which will overall help me become a better nurse in the future! 

Finally I am looking forward to exploring the city of Buenos Aires and experiencing its culture, eating Argentinian food, visiting museums and seeing the sites. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to dive right in, make new friends, and create lifelong memories!