And in the blink of an eye, my dream of becoming an Ivy League student became a reality. Since I was accepted into the International Guest Student Program this year, I could not have imagined the number of experiences that were yet to come. But from the very beginning, I had a goal in mind, to make my months at Penn the best possible, to take advantage of every opportunity offered to me, whether academic or enjoy new experiences, and to make my time in the United States a truly complete immersion in American culture.

Just before fall break, what should have been a relaxed day on campus felt unexpectedly tense for me. While many students were preparing to leave, I sat at my desk revising the same emails and interview outlines again and again. I was developing my graduate school portfolio, which required conducting interviews related to youth employment. To move this work forward, I hoped to reach out to staff at Penn Career Services to ask whether they might be open to a brief interview.

When I arrived in Philadelphia, I genuinely believed I would be on my own. I came without knowing whether anyone from my home university would also be here, and I had mentally prepared myself for the challenge of starting from zero—socially, academically, and personally. While I was ready to step outside my comfort zone and meet people from entirely different cultural backgrounds, there was still a quiet uncertainty about what those first days would feel like.