Hi All. My name is Nora Jurczak and I am currently a freshman in the College of Business Administration studying Global Management and Marketing with the intention to minor in Spanish. I am from Mendham, NJ which is a good 5-6 hours away from Pittsburgh. I am SO excited to be traveling to Ecuador with Pitts’ Plus 3 Program this May.

Here’s a little more about me: At school, I am an active member of the professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and a member of its marketing committee. Outside of campus I work part-time babysitting for a couple of Pittsburgh families. Back home, I work as a hostess at a local restaurant and I babysit, petsit and housesit. I would joke and say that travel is my middle name but it might be considering how much of it I do and how much I love to do it. *Fun fact – I spent my 5th birthday in Denmark! Ecuador is actually the first of 3 confirmed trips I will be doing this summer, including a girls trip to Toronto with my home friends and a trip to Spain in mid-July. This will be my first time traveling to South America or anywhere near the equator – I am hoping the sun will be kind to me. I lived on a horse farm for a good part of my childhood so I absolutely love spending time outdoors and have no problem getting a little dirty (that’s part of it). I love hiking, working out, cooking, attending live music events and cultural institutions, and spending time with my family, friends and animals.

What initially grabbed my interest was when I had heard about the Plus 3 programs during admitted students day last April, where the breadth and depth of Pitt’s Study abroad experiences immediately had me committing. There was no doubt in my mind that Plus 3 would be the perfect experience to conclude my freshman year, it was just a question of where. One of the first things I did back in August was immediately researching the different Plus 3 options and seeing which would align best with my interests – Ecuador was incredibly interesting for the depth and true traveller experience that it provided – I mean when else would I have the opportunity to spend time in the rainforest and get to know the Waorani? The vast amount of biodiversity and access to an entirely new culture was all too enticing, Plus the opportunity to truly understand the cacao and chocolate industry. Beyond the adventure, I think that it is important to understand where our food comes from and the time and effort it takes to produce the things we consume – like our favorite chocolate candy.

On this trip I really want to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and be open to everything that comes my way, after all some of the best adventures are the unplanned ones. I am also really excited to be able to practice my Spanish skills and be surrounded by a culture different than my own. From this experience, I hope to gain more confidence in foreign countries while simultaneously growing my appreciation and understanding of everything the Ecuadorian culture has to offer. After getting my undergraduate degree, I would love to pursue my graduate degree in a foreign country and both work and live internationally. I think that this experience would be an incredible opportunity to get started.