Hi! My name is Jacob Vogel and I am a rising sophomore at Pitt. I’m studying Marketing in the CBA with intended minors in German and Music and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. I’m 19, I was born in Pittsburgh and have lived here my whole life (attending Mt. Lebanon High School before Pitt). I have always had a strong love for my city and the region I was raised in, but I decided that it was time to travel and see the world. This trip to Cuba will be my first time traveling outside of the country and my first time traveling without friends or family. I’m very excited to see a unique part of the world that most of the people I know aren’t very familiar with. Cuba stood out to me because of its historical significance to this part of the world and the expansive history of the Cuban people and their interactions between themselves and others in the world. I wanted to get a perspective on Cuba that simply would not be available to me from the United States; I want to go and see if what the history books have taught me is correct and really to meet the people. I’m excited to be immersed in a completely new culture, however, I am also admittedly a bit nervous about what I will experience (I don’t speak the slightest bit of Spanish). Aside from that, I am also a little bit nervous about traveling so far, especially given that the only other time I have been on a plane was a on trip to disney world in first grade. Regardless of all of that, though, I am far more excited and eager to be embarking on my first adventure outside of home and can’t wait to report back on the new things I will have seen!