While most college students might be a bit timid and nervous to get on a plane for their first study abroad trip, University of the Ozarks student Enya Trinidad was excited and prepared, thanks to her history of accepting new challenges and experiences in order to improve herself.
Trinidad, a senior psychology major from Mexico who will graduate in May with honors, spent the Spring 2024 Semester studying at Ulster University, in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Leaving home and forging new experiences is nothing new for Trinidad. With her family’s blessing, as a 14-year-old she left her small community in central Mexico to enroll at Presbyterian Pan American School (PPAS) in Kingsville, Texas. Founded in 1911, PPAS is a Christian, college-preparatory boarding school that “educates and empowers young adults for leadership in a global society.”
Trinidad’s father had attended PPAS and he credited the school for helping him become a successful business owner in Mexico. He wanted Enya and his other children to have that same advantage.
“My first year at the Pan American School was very difficult; I was homesick and struggling with English and the new culture,” Trinidad said. “But I knew it was for the best and, with the help of God, I kept going and it got easier. When I think back about that whole experience, I’m grateful to God for helping me overcome those challenges and for my time at the Pan American School. It was a great experience and it definitely helped prepare me for college in the U.S.”
When it came time to pick a college, Trinidad and her parents were attracted to the small campus, diversity and Christian-affiliated aspects of Ozarks.
“In a lot of ways, Ozarks was like the Pan American School and me and my parents both liked that,” she said. “It was an adjustment when I went to the Pan American School. You are just so used to being with the same people in the same environment, doing the same things, and then you meet people that think differently, have been through different things, have lived in different environments with different cultures and it’s an eye-opening experience. At Pan American School, we had students from all over the world, with different cultures and different languages, but friendship, caring and support have a language all its own. That’s the same environment that I found at Ozarks.”
The decision to study abroad for a semester was made easier when her best friend and roommate, Lizzie Soper, decided to also go.
“What made the experience even better, is that I had my friend Lizzie with me, because we were both accepted in the same program and were able to adapt to the lifestyle in Northern Ireland together,” Trinidad said. “The study abroad experience was great. I learned a lot about their culture, public transportation, Irish words, food, and Irish people that were always very kind, welcoming, and curious to know about me and my home country.”
Trinidad took three psychology classes during the term.
“I was amazed by how big the psychology classes were in that school, with about 120 students per class, and the teachers even had to use microphones so the students in the back could hear them,” she said. “It was very cool. Lizzie and I used our time wisely and hopped on a bus every weekend to go and explore as many towns as we could. What I enjoyed most was the connections I met. The first week I arrived I met a group of girls at a Baptist church event for international students and they often invited Lizzie and I to join their worship nights at the University Campus, Bible studies, and to join the McDonald’s at midnight tradition once a week. It was very fun to see McDonald’s filled with university students at midnight, and our now friends were always giving us rides home after that.”
Trinidad said one particular memory that sticks out is a weekend that she and her friends spent in Galway, the Republic of Ireland.
“To get there we had to get on three different trains, which was a little tiring but worth it,” she said. “Galway was filled with life. There were people from all over the world there, many people selling handcrafts and my favorite thing was seeing and hearing all the musicians that played music live in the streets. I love going to concerts, so it was amazing for me to be able to hear a different type of music in every street. I saw musicians playing acoustic and electric guitars, violins, bagpipes, harmonicas, ukuleles, and singing in different languages. That affected me in a positive way because seeing so much culture in music and in people, mostly from Europe and Asia, filled me with an overwhelming sense of joy.”
Trinidad said her study abroad experience had a “strong impact” on her.
“Even though I have been facing a lot of changes in my life since I was 14, the simple fact of getting on a plane to study in a different continent made me realize that I am capable of doing really great things and overcoming life’s challenges with God by my side,” she said. “Going to Ireland was another opportunity to expand my horizons like the one I had coming to study in the U.S. These experiences are what nurture me and help me achieve personal growth.”
Topics: Student Stories