Jan 31

Jan 31 Introducing Spring 2019 Blog Correspondent: Isabella Dominique

Many of my friends, family, and peers asked me why I chose to spend five months studying abroad in Rabat, Morocco. In their defense, Morocco is a pretty random country to choose given all of the conventional study abroad locations for most students in America (for example: Europe). However, in order to graduate on time and successfully complete my two majors and one minor, I only had two options: Morocco or Belgium.

My mom was born and raised in Germany so both my brother and I have German citizenship. We have traveled to the area countless times which essentially narrowed my decision down to one choice. I knew that Morocco was the only country of the two that would genuinely create an environment that would foster growth, unique experiences, and an insight into a culture I have not yet experienced.

My name is Isabella Dominique and I am originally from Denver, Colorado. I spent my whole life living in the rather homogeneous state until I decided to attend American University, located in Washington, D.C. In Denver, I spend most of my time riding horses, trying new coffee shops, and hanging out with friends and family. Now that I have spent nearly three years in D.C., going home feels more and more like a vacation every time.

In D.C., I spend most of my time on schoolwork, internships, and extracurriculars. I am currently double-majoring in Political Science and CLEG (Communications, Law, Economics, Government) and minoring in International Studies. I wish I had academic space to formally focus on philosophy and education policy, too, but unfortunately there is not enough time in the day or money in my life to successfully complete so many programs in just four years. I plan to attend law school sometime after I graduate to obtain the skills that I need to truly carry out my interests in the real world. Aside from academia, I served as the Vice President of my school’s NAACP chapter and the President of our Pre-Law Society this past semester. While I absolutely love the work I do on campus, I am thankful to be able to take a bit of a break and recharge while I am abroad.

I am more than excited to embark on my adventure with new friends in Rabat! I’m eager to learn more about Moroccan food, culture, language, fashion, everything. I know that I will grow in every way imaginable after having spent five months in such an amazing region. However, I also know that I’m nervous to throw myself into a situation in which I am so far from home, I do not know a single word of Arabic or French, and I know no one except myself. I am certain it will be challenging at times; however, my motto for when I let myself get too nervous is: I’m sure it will be a worthwhile experience as long as I don’t die. Stay tuned to find out what that experience looks like for me!