Office of Study Abroad

Profile: Annie Fortnow '17

Majors: Environmental Studies and Health: Science, Society and Policy

Study Abroad Program: IFSA/Alliance: Pune — Contemporary India

Current Job/Graduate School/etc.: MA/MBA candidate at Brandeis University in the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program and Social Impact MBA at the Heller School

Why did you originally choose to study abroad in India? I wanted to have a unique experience that I could not get in another Western country.

What have you been up to since graduation? I have been working in the Jewish nonprofit field and am now getting my graduate degree with the hopes of leading a Jewish nonprofit organization.

What lessons or skills did you learn from studying abroad that you still think about today or still impact you today on your current path? I think a lot about the social injustices I learned exist while abroad and about the importance of remembering that we are global citizens when thinking about doing justice work.

One memory from abroad that still feels like it happened yesterday: I still remember waking up early every morning with my host family to do yoga and some of the core yoga concepts I learned. To this day, I still practice yoga and remember my fond beginnings with the practice while abroad!

Your message to students thinking about studying abroad: If you are at all thinking about studying abroad, do it! This experience was hands-down one of my favorite semesters of college and taught me so much about independence, being a global citizen and what life is like in another country different from my own. I also still have close Indian friends that I met while on my program. Go abroad!