Allison Kinney is a freshman majoring in agricultural communication with a minor in agronomy. She traveled to Dominican Republic as part of the FAES First-year Student Experience program during winter break 2023.

My education abroad experience is one that I will never forget. I have never traveled outside of the United States before and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Not only did I get to take the trip with many of my friends, but I was also able to make new ones.

My favorite memory of the trip was getting to spend the evenings after dinner with our tour guide. We all would sit with him and talk about the Dominican Republic and his farming experiences he’s had. We also taught him how to play Uno which quickly became a nightly tradition.

I think it is super important to travel abroad and learn about other cultures. It allows for a look into how they not only live their everyday lives, but what I found most interesting how they produce food to feed their country.