Study Abroad Alumni Stories: Shannon Messac
Meet Shannon Messac! She serves on the Board of Joy Worldwide Inc as the Director of Education. She completed her undergrad at UNC Wilmington with a major in International Business and Management Information Systems . She studied abroad in Valencia, Spain in Spring 2016.
What life skills did you gain from studying abroad?
“I learned how to live on my own and trust myself. I had never travelled alone before, and I really had to learn how to navigate life without the constant help of teachers and parents. This included navigating multiple flights and layovers, reading street directions in Spanish, and taking public transportation for the first time ever. I got very lost along the way, but being alone taught me that I am capable of much more than I realized, and that I will always find a way to make things work!
I also gained the invaluable knowledge of perspective. Growing up in North Carolina, I had a very linear and rigid view of the world that made me afraid to try new things. I was thrown for a loop in Valencia when I saw locals eating dinner very late in the day (I often didn’t have dinner until 9 or 10pm!) and walking almost everywhere instead of driving a car. I saw businesses closing down for an hour in the middle of the day for siesta, which felt so inconvenient at the time, but I now recognize as a healthy way for the country to disconnect from work and to rest. I met people from across the globe that spoke multiple languages and worked in various industries. Experiencing this new way of living piqued my curiosity of how locals in other countries live, and ignited the passion I now have for traveling. I now live my life with an openness to try new things instead of immediately making negative judgements.”
What advice would you give to your past self before studying abroad?
“The biggest advice I would give myself is to NEVER BE AFRAID TO TRY! My Spanish improved significantly during my time in Spain, but it would have improved even more if I hadn’t been so afraid of messing up. The idea of making a grammar mistake or being misunderstood terrified me and often caused me to revert back to English or to not speak at all. As uncomfortable as it might be, I would have urged myself to speak Spanish as early and as often as possible, because making mistakes is the only way to improve.
I would have also told myself to create a budget for my trip and to stick to it! There were so many exciting opportunities for excursions and extra trips during my study abroad and the FOMO was real, but no matter where you study there are always affordable ways to have fun.”
Why do you think it is important for African American students to study abroad?
“Study abroad is a form of education, and I believe African American students should seek as many diverse learning opportunities as possible. I think that we learn so much more when we are immersing ourselves in new experiences than just sitting in a classroom.
More importantly, studying abroad is so much fun! We deserve to have fun exploring new areas of the world and going on adventures.”