One of our former study abroad students has become a viral sensation with a video created with the help of her friend.
Kalyn Franke was a student at the University of Pittsburgh studying Communications when she studied abroad in 2012 at Richmond American University London. Kalyn has since gone on to create www.girlgonelondon.com, a resource about travelling or moving to the UK.
In the video that Kalyn has made with her American friend, Emily, Kalyn shares aspects of life in the UK with Emily which hold some surprises for her. As Kalyn explains, “I sit down with my best friend Emily and get her reaction as an American to UK healthcare, maternity pay, income tax, holidays, and more!”
Before coming to Richmond, my confidence was average. I knew I could live on my own when I was at college in the States, but figuring out that I could learn to thrive and enjoy living in a foreign country without knowing anyone at first helped me grow that confidence to levels that 20-year-old me had never known was possible.
Kalyn said about her experience of studying:
“Because of how much I loved my time at Richmond, I ended up coming back to London to do a Master’s degree and then eventually met my now-husband, a Brit.
Now, in one of those amazing “circle of life” moments, I am the person that encourages others to find that same confidence in study abroad that I did.
I’m not sure what my future will hold, but the older I get the more I appreciate the confidence and willingness to step outside of my comfort zone that I learned at Richmond because so far, it’s taken me to much more interesting and fulfilling places than I ever intended to go.”
