Barcelona Bliss: A Study Abroad Gift

by Livia McKinney, GO Barcelona 2024

My name is Livia McKinney and I am currently a junior at Auburn University studying psychology to be a Marriage and Family Therapist. I am going on GO Barcelona in summer 2024 and could not be more thankful for this opportunity!

Growing up disliking planes and only knowing how to travel by cruise ship, I never thought the day would come where I would be brave enough to say “I want to study abroad.”

After witnessing my closest friends and family have the summers of a lifetime I knew that at this moment, I am meant to study abroad. With out-of-state tuition and soon to be graduate school, money was a worry to me when asking my parents about this adventure I wanted to go on. After talking to LeadAbroad, they made me feel like no matter the cost, this was going to be one of the biggest blessings and adventures I will take in my life.

After many days of talking with my parents, I will never forget the phone call where my mom told me I was allowed to go and I sat there crying - beyond thankful for my parents allowing me to do something I didn’t think was possible, and for the chance to go out of the country and see the world that God has created.

Traveling is about experience, memories, growth and adventure. To have the chance to get to see so many places in 5 weeks is going to blow my mind everyday, even after the journey ends. I am so excited to go learn more about this world, meet new people and appreciate the gift of study abroad to its fullest. Let’s GO Barcelona - I’m ready!