Until Next Time

The semester is drawing to a close, and it will likely prove to be one of the most difficult times in modern history. For many, the first part of 2020 has been filled with uncertainty, frustration, and disappointment; as a Pitt student enrolled in the GSL Bolivia program, these are especially true. The uncertainty regarding…

Goodbye, GSL

My GSL experience taught me a lot about gratitude. Was I upset that our trip was canceled? Absolutely. Gratitude isn’t something that comes to you after one experience alone, but I think that GSL opened my eyes to see that the world is much bigger than the bit of it where I reside. I was…

Concluding an Online International Experience

As my sophomore year concludes, I reflect on the challenges we have faced on a worldwide scale but also how we continue to overcome these unprecedented situations. Although we were unable to physically complete the “global” in Global Service Learning, I can say with full confidence that our online adaptations fulfill the “service learning”. Over…

From the classroom. To the city. To my living room.

This semester has been a whirlwind with many ups and downs. It was filled with challenges that no one could predict and definitely did not go the way I expected it to. However, there were many opportunities to adjust and grow. While the global portion of global service learning never got off the ground (quite…

Final GSL Lessons and Thoughts

Overall, I would say my experience in Service-Learning Organizations, though not what I initially anticipated, was a positive one. What I foresaw to be my first taste of a study abroad experience, soon turned into a test of will, perseverance, and dedication. With the final presentation and report completed, I can begin to reflect on…

Global Service Learing in my Living Room: What I Learned

If you told me in January that I’d be writing this blog in my hometown locked in my house during a global pandemic, not having had travelled to Puerto Rico, I would have laughed in your face. I did not expect any of this to turn out the way it did; how could anyone? We…

Looking back on great semester!

It’s easy to look back on this semester and be disappointed- and rightfully so. We lost half a semester of spending time with our peers on campus, we had to adjust to an online learning environment when we were expecting to learn in-person, and we really can’t even go outside anymore. However, in these uncertain…

Lessons Learned and Advice for Future Groups

Hi everyone! We have just about reached the end of this semester and it is certainly one most of us will never forget for the rest of our lives. Not only did it feel like it went on forever, but we were forced to overcome many challenges both as students and personally. Obviously, the main…

And that’s a Wrap

My experiences in my Global Service Learning have been interesting to say the least, and the class did not go at all how I expected. Due to the constantly evolving nature of this course, I was able to learn a few key lessons. The first of which is that life is unpredictable and has a…