Profile: Reis Penna

Name: Reis Penna

Graduation Year: 2020

Major: Undecided

Hometown: Loonenburg

Astrological Sign: Aries

Favorite Color: Purple

On Campus activities: Global Gateway Program

What countries have you traveled to?

China, Australia, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, Monaco and Vatican.

How did you start your individual traveling career?

I began traveling in high school with a program called People to People. The Program brought people from all over the country together to travel in student ambassador groups.

What traveling experience are you most proud of?

My Senior project in high school was to embark in an exploration of a self-made investigation question: “How can I immerse myself in a foreign country?”. I chose to research China for my project and eventually, individually traveled to the country for an entire month.

What did you do while you were in China?

I did homestays with two different families in Shanghai and Hangzhou. I did common things with the families, such as go out to traditional Chinese dinners, attend a lantern festival and celebrate Chinese New Year.

Did you stay with the families the whole time while being in China?

I was only with each family for about a week and when I wasn’t living with the homestays, I stayed in hotels. I was basically a traditional tourist and visited museums, popular sightseeing locations and obviously, walked the Great Wall of China.

What exactly is the Global Gateway Program?

Global Gateway is a program where you are given the opportunity to be chosen to learn cooperation skills alongside a group of your peers and partake in small traveling excursions to different countries throughout the four-year program.

What would you recommend for students to do who want to travel but don’t know where to start?

There are many services on campus that can help students travel, whether that be studying abroad for a semester at the Madrid campus or alternative spring breaks. I would recommend researching countries that appeal to you the most and overall just taking advantage of the great traveling opportunities Suffolk provides us with. 

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