Student Spotlight on Cassidy Bopp, Greenheart Travel’s Correspondent in Costa Rica

Greenheart Travel is excited to send a group of amazing high school students to study abroad as part of our 2016 Travel Correspondent Scholarship awards. To help introduce our inspiring writers, we are doing a series of spotlight interviews to help you get to know a little more about who they are, where they will be headed and what inspired them to study abroad.

Read on to meet 16-year-old, Cassidy Bopp, our Greenheart Travel Correspondent from Saltsburg, Pennyslvania who’ll be traveling abroad to study in Costa Rica!

Favorite thing to do in your free time?

In my free time, I like to take pictures, go for walks, and hang out with friends.

Have you traveled abroad before?

No, I have never traveled abroad. This will be my first time!

What got you interested in learning a new language and studying abroad?

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to travel, but taking a Spanish class my first year of high school got me even more interested in learning different languages and experiencing other cultures.

What are you most excited about experiencing or seeing during your high school abroad program?

I am most excited to meet new kinds of people and expand my mindset and knowledge when it comes to other cultures.

Why do you feel it’s important to travel to a new place and experience a different culture?

To me, it is important to travel and experience different cultures in order to learn that the way your culture is, is not the only right way to live. It reduces ignorance and shows you how much is out there in the world.

What are you nervous about?

I am nervous about communicating with people in the beginning, because my Spanish is far from perfect.

How have you prepared for your time living and studying abroad?

I have prepared by spending several hours reading about the culture, food, weather, and more. I have also done a lot of Duolingo to improve my Spanish, looked at the regional dialect, and found people from my host city to follow on social media to see what it’s like.

How do you think you will change the most during your time abroad?

I think my Spanish will improve significantly, along with my stress management in certain situations and my knowledge of the culture.

Cassidy Bopp is 16 years old and lives in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania . Her goal during her study abroad program is to “gain a better understanding of the culture in Costa Rica and to see more of the world, and really take it in and appreciate it to the fullest.” Follow Cassidy’s adventure in Costa Rica on her blog post updates throughout her program.