Excerpt from Michelle Obama's graduation speech at George Washington University, May 2010
"When you serve others abroad, you're serving our country, too. You're showing the world the true face of America - our generosity, our strength, the enduring power of our ideals, the infinite reservoir of our hope. And yes, serving abroad will make you stronger, more competitive, a more valuable asset for a career in the public or private sectors. Just talk to any of your colleagues who have spent some time abroad. And one of the first things they'll tell you, for example, is that you'll never learn a language or develop self-reliance as quickly as you will when you're on your own in a foreign country!"
My motivation to study abroad is as high as ever, and it is required for my major to study abroad for a total of 10 weeks anyway, so this is definitely happening. Most likely in Japan. So I'll be doing either a Fall or Spring program.