About Me

Hi, everyone! I'm Diana, and welcome to my blog! It's currently undergoing a revival (sadly I skipped completely past my Spring 2018 study abroad adventures and two other trips since then), so bear with me!

I'm a super-senior at American University (thanks Boren!), and recently (unofficially) graduated with a dual-degree in International Studies and French Studies, as well as a certificate in Community-Based Research. As part of the Boren Scholarship, I just moved from my home in DC to Gainesville, Florida, where I'm taking intensive French and survival Wolof at the University of Florida, before sending off to Dakar, Senegal, where I'll be living and studying for several months.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, I grew up in Silicon Valley –– the very beating heart of the tech industry. An incredibly diverse area (1/3 of the population was born overseas), I was incredibly privileged to have grown up in an affluent area with friends of various backgrounds. Today, I consider myself a student – forever curious, forever learning – just a bit further away from home. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, painting, drawing, meeting new people, hiking (and generally spending time outdoors), and learning new languages.

Topics that will be covered by this blog: living overseas, all the emotional (and logistical) struggles that go with that, language-learning, race and gender, privilege, mental health, self care, and travel.

I will try my very best to give my balanced thoughts and experiences while being genuine and avoiding over-editing. All that said, these are just my thoughts. I'm trying to be as real with you all as possible, so hand me the criticism, but also please take everything I write with a grain of salt, and remember I'm in the process of learning too.

Lastly, if you go back in my blog you will find some posts in which I truly overshared, that were written poorly, and much more! This blog has been up since little freshman me created it and, in a nod to who I once was, the growth I have made, and the growth I will make, I have decided to keep these posts up, unedited. Feel free to read them and laugh at me, but remember they were a younger, less-traveled me.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all! Please feel free to send me tips and advice, or ask for them. Hope you enjoy your visit!

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The views expressed on this blog are entirely my own and do not represent Boren Awards, NSEP, or IIE.