Hi! My name is Malini Kondisetty, and this May I will be traveling to Ecuador for the Plus3 program at Pitt. I am a freshman business major here at Pitt from North Wales, Pennsylvania. I am so excited for this adventure and to learn all about the culture, chocolate, and flowers of Ecuador!

At Pitt, I am involved in several clubs as well as being apart of the David C. Frederick Honors College. I’m apart of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi as the Director of IT, secretary for the improv club Ruckus Improv, and a fundraising chair for Pitt’s Treble Choral Ensemble. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my roommates, playing with my cat, listening to song recommendations, and watching new movies and shows but only finish them if I really like it.

I chose Ecuador as my Plus3 locations because I had never seen a study abroad program offered that delves so deeply and respectfully into another culture. My mother spent a year living in Mexico when she was younger, and she has really inspired me to take any opportunity I can to learn about and immerse myself in other cultures. This location seemed especially interesting to me since we go to stay with the native Waorani Tribe for a few days, and have the opportunity to see the Amazon which I honestly never thought I would get to experience this early.

Personally, I am excited to put my phone down for awhile to appreciate Ecuador’s nature and culture. I hope it will give me a better perspective beyond my screen, and teach me to truly appreciate how rich other places are. The interesting thing about business is how applicable it is to everywhere in the world, so it will be helpful to be able to apply the concepts I learn at Pitt to outside of the classroom. I am eager for what awaits in the coming weeks!